BERLIN (Bloomberg) — German meat production climbed 4.2 percent in the third quarter as the European Union's largest pork consumer slaughtered more hogs and chickens.

Output of beef, pork and other meat gained to two million metric tons from 1.91 million tons a year earlier, the Federal Statistics Office said yesterday in a report on its website today.

The country is the EU's second-largest meat producer behind France and the 27-nation bloc's biggest holder of pigs, ahead of Spain and France.

"The clear increase in pig slaughtering was decisive for this increase," the statistics office said. "Furthermore, production of poultry meat is rising, while beef production is falling."

Germany processed 14.6 million hogs in the quarter, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier, lifting pork production 5.5 percent to 1.36 million tons.

Pork accounted for 68 percent of the country's meat output in the period.

Poultry-meat production advanced 3.6 percent to 342,000 tons, according to the report. Germany's beef output fell 0.7 percent to 289,200 tons.