Year to date · January–August 2026
6.28 million tonnes
August 2026 only
868,454 tonnes
Full year 2025
10.3 million tonnes
Share of all cargo
1.7%
What the data say · August 2026
Spanish ports handled 6.28 million tonnes of animal feed and fodder in the year to August 2026, 2.5% less than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 868,454 tonnes, 17.5% more than in August 2025.
By type of cargo, 52.7% travelled as dry bulk and 47% as general cargo. The item accounts for 1.7% of all cargo passing through Spanish ports in that period.
In 2025, the latest year with a breakdown by port, traffic in animal feed and fodder came to 10.3 million tonnes, 10.7% more than in 2024: 6.77 million tonnes unloaded and 3.48 million tonnes loaded. Foreign trade accounted for 88.8% and the rest was coastal shipping between Spanish ports. 28 of the 28 port authorities recorded movements of this commodity.
Tarragona ranks first among port authorities with 1.55 million tonnes in 2025 (13.3% more than in 2024). It is followed by Barcelona (1.51 million) and Valencia (1.38 million). Together, the three account for 43.3% of the total.
The largest increases were recorded by Bilbao (+56.9%), Valencia (+55.2%) and Bahía de Cádiz (+47.2%); the steepest falls by Sevilla (−28.6%), Las Palmas (−15.1%) and Bahía de Algeciras (−10.2%). The comparison is limited to port authorities that account for at least 1% of the total, so that an extreme swing at a small player does not distort the picture.
The rest of the top ten are A Coruña (4th, 1.24 million, −0.6%), Bahía de Algeciras (5th, 943,625 tonnes, −10.2%), Huelva (6th, 661,245 tonnes, +0.4%), Cartagena (7th, 592,611 tonnes, +21.4%), Las Palmas (8th, 370,108 tonnes, −15.1%), Bilbao (9th, 273,816 tonnes, +56.9%) and Santander (10th, 269,018 tonnes, +6.9%).
At the bottom of the table are Ferrol-San Cibrao (1,662 tonnes), Melilla (1,306 tonnes) and Ceuta (375 tonnes), out of a total of 28 port authorities with data.
The distribution is concentrated: the top five account for 64.6% of the total and 8 port authorities are enough to reach 80%, while the other 18 port authorities further down share the remaining 14.3%. 17 of the 28 port authorities with a comparison grew compared with 2024, 13 of them by double digits, and 11 fell.
Of the 8 months of 2026 with data, 5 are above the same month of 2025 and 3 below; over the last three months (June, July, August) the figure is up 7.2% on the same months of 2025; the largest year-on-year difference was in April (down 17.3%); the highest point in the series was July, at 1.02 M, and the lowest March, at 552,383.
Between 2011 and 2025 the figure went from 7.42 M to 10.3 M, an increase of 38.2% over 14 years (+2.3% a year on average); the last year is the high point of the series and the low was 2013 (6.66 M).
Top 10 · Animal feed and fodder by port authority · 2025
Month by month · 2026 vs 2025
Annual series · animal feed and fodder
Full table · 28 port authorities
| # | Port authorities | Total 2025 | Change on 2024 | Unloaded | Share | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tarragona | 1.55 M | +13.3% | 1.41 M | 15.1% | Port |
| 2 | Barcelona | 1.51 M | +15.9% | 186,672 | 14.8% | Port |
| 3 | Valencia | 1.38 M | +55.2% | 593,357 | 13.5% | Port |
| 4 | A Coruña | 1.24 M | −0.6% | 1.2 M | 12.1% | Port |
| 5 | Bahía de Algeciras | 943,625 | −10.2% | 408,050 | 9.2% | Port |
| 6 | Huelva | 661,245 | +0.4% | 612,322 | 6.4% | Port |
| 7 | Cartagena | 592,611 | +21.4% | 578,525 | 5.8% | Port |
| 8 | Las Palmas | 370,108 | −15.1% | 248,933 | 3.6% | Port |
| 9 | Bilbao | 273,816 | +56.9% | 238,209 | 2.7% | Port |
| 10 | Santander | 269,018 | +6.9% | 168,549 | 2.6% | Port |
| 11 | Málaga | 262,652 | +16.4% | 213,289 | 2.6% | Port |
| 12 | Marín y Ría de Pontevedra | 225,331 | −7.2% | 224,440 | 2.2% | Port |
| 13 | Bahía de Cádiz | 203,924 | +47.2% | 170,400 | 2.0% | Port |
| 14 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 163,640 | +9.9% | 121,833 | 1.6% | Port |
| 15 | Sevilla | 145,758 | −28.6% | 94,436 | 1.4% | Port |
| 16 | Pasaia | 122,857 | +5.0% | 115,431 | 1.2% | Port |
| 17 | Baleares | 117,594 | +26.4% | 78,774 | 1.1% | Port |
| 18 | Vigo | 77,140 | −3.5% | 53,201 | 0.8% | Port |
| 19 | Gijón | 54,226 | +129.1% | 18,790 | 0.5% | Port |
| 20 | Avilés | 23,306 | −43.6% | 23,306 | 0.2% | Port |
| 21 | Alicante | 19,353 | −8.2% | 1,262 | 0.2% | Port |
| 22 | Motril | 15,017 | +12.2% | 2,965 | 0.1% | Port |
| 23 | Vilagarcía | 12,306 | +215.3% | 9,035 | 0.1% | Port |
| 24 | Almería | 9,079 | +50.1% | 10 | 0.1% | Port |
| 25 | Castellón | 8,283 | −66.4% | 1,450 | 0.1% | Port |
| 26 | Ferrol-San Cibrao | 1,662 | −82.9% | 389 | 0.0% | Port |
| 27 | Melilla | 1,306 | +10.9% | 1,306 | 0.0% | Port |
| 28 | Ceuta | 375 | −19.5% | 375 | 0.0% | Port |
What this indicator measures
Soya meal and cake, dehydrated alfalfa and other livestock feed, as dry bulk or in containers. Puertos del Estado publishes every month the tonnes of this commodity loaded, unloaded or in transit across all ports of general interest, as a cumulative figure since January, and once a year the breakdown by port authority. Figures for the current year are provisional until the yearbook is published.
Context
Spain’s intensive livestock sector needs imported raw materials, above all soya meal from the Americas, and at the same time exports dehydrated alfalfa to the Middle East and Asia. Unloading is concentrated at ports with agri-food terminals, such as Tarragona, Barcelona, Valencia and the Galician ports.
Frequently asked questions
How many tonnes of animal feed and fodder have Spanish ports handled this year?
6.28 million tonnes in the year to August 2026, 2.5% less than in the same period of 2025.
Which Spanish port handles the most animal feed and fodder?
Tarragona, with 1.55 million tonnes in 2025, 15.1% of the total.
How is this commodity carried: in bulk or as general cargo?
By type of cargo, 52.7% travelled as dry bulk and 47% as general cargo in the year to August 2026.
When is this data updated?
Puertos del Estado publishes the data every month. Latest data available: August 2026.
Source
Puertos del Estado. To explore the data in detail, use PortStats · cargo by commodity, annual series or see the original source.