What is the international position of the Polish poultry sector?
Poland is counted among the global leaders in the production of this kind of meat, recording an everyday growth in sales, both at home and abroad. Poultry production in Poland in 2022 (at plants employing 50 and more people) exceeded 2.9 million tons, of which, more than 59% was exported. The total poultry meat production in Poland in 2022 exceeded 3.2 million tons.
Polish poultry meat and its preparations enjoy much recognition on the demanding European market to which most Polish poultry is directed. The main importers of Polish poultry are invariably Germany, the Netherlands, and France. Simultaneously, Poland is expanding its poultry exports to third countries, such as the UK, Ukraine, the Congo, Ghana, and Liberia.
What is the reason for the growth of poultry meat production in Poland, which has been observed for several years?
Polish poultry is appreciated worldwide due to its high quality and price attractiveness. Food safety issues are not insignificant either. Our success also stems from reasonable investment by domestic companies in the construction of production plants that are the most modern in Europe and globally, guaranteeing production of top-quality goods.
The growing interest of foreign contractors is also an effect of broad promotional actions which have been conducted on global markets for many years by the National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce.
What are the most serious threats to the Polish poultry sector?
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The greatest threat faced now, not only by the Polish poultry meat sector but, more broadly, by the EU livestock and meat sector, is a widespread wave of food disinformation in the public space. An increasing number of ambiguities, myths, half-truths or even lies concerning animal production appears in the press, on television, on the internet and in social media. To counteract this, representatives of industry organizations have decided to establish a coalition and signed a “Joint declaration of Polish agri-food organizations, food producers and other interested entities for counteraction to food disinformation and food-related fake news”.
Since the liberalization of trade with Ukraine, the Polish and Community poultry sectors are also facing an influx of cheap poultry meat from Ukraine on an unprecedentedly large scale. Poultry producers understand the principles of market competition, however, the condition is that the Ukrainian party should undertake to ensure quality and welfare standards equivalent to those binding in the EU. The same is true for the growing imports of poultry meat from other directions, such as Brazil.
Another major problem is the instability on the markets of animal feed and energy. We realize that this situation is impacted by factors beyond our direct control, yet it makes production planning very difficult.
What about the great EU reform known as the European Green Deal?
Since the presentation of the “Field to Table” strategy in 2020, organizations associating farmers and processors have been actively participating in the amendment process of EU regulations concerning animal welfare. Nobody negates the need to introduce changes. However, we strongly assert that the process of transformation towards a sustainable production model has to rest on three pillars: environmental, social, and economic. The latest scientific opinions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on broiler welfare are only based on one pillar, which is an unacceptable manipulation.
Meeting the radical recommendations on application of maximum stocking density and restriction of the growth pace of broilers will cause a 70% reduction of poultry meat production in the European Union, whereas the remaining 30% would be produced at prices so high that only a small portion of the society would be able to afford it. As a result, we can expect drastic increase of imports from countries where the production conditions clearly differ from the stringent EU standards.
Will Poland remain the leader of poultry exports to third countries?
I think it will. A robust base of poultry farming sector and the high competitiveness of processing plants, combined with extensive informational and promotional activities, should help us maintain the leading position. Of course, like in any business, there are things that just cannot be foreseen. In our case, these are infectious poultry diseases, such as the avian flu which has already caused great losses in many countries. I believe the ongoing discussion concerning introduction of avian flu vaccines, as well as further investments in state-of-the-art global solutions, elevating the biosecurity level even higher, will allow us to mitigate this risk.
Thank you
Monika Górka
Poland is counted among the global leaders in the production of this kind of meat, recording an everyday growth in sales, both at home and abroad. Poultry production in Poland in 2022 (at plants employing 50 and more people) exceeded 2.9 million tons, of which, more than 59% was exported. The total poultry meat production in Poland in 2022 exceeded 3.2 million tons.
Polish poultry meat and its preparations enjoy much recognition on the demanding European market to which most Polish poultry is directed. The main importers of Polish poultry are invariably Germany, the Netherlands, and France. Simultaneously, Poland is expanding its poultry exports to third countries, such as the UK, Ukraine, the Congo, Ghana, and Liberia.
What is the reason for the growth of poultry meat production in Poland, which has been observed for several years?
Polish poultry is appreciated worldwide due to its high quality and price attractiveness. Food safety issues are not insignificant either. Our success also stems from reasonable investment by domestic companies in the construction of production plants that are the most modern in Europe and globally, guaranteeing production of top-quality goods.
The growing interest of foreign contractors is also an effect of broad promotional actions which have been conducted on global markets for many years by the National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce.
What are the most serious threats to the Polish poultry sector?
|
The greatest threat faced now, not only by the Polish poultry meat sector but, more broadly, by the EU livestock and meat sector, is a widespread wave of food disinformation in the public space. An increasing number of ambiguities, myths, half-truths or even lies concerning animal production appears in the press, on television, on the internet and in social media. To counteract this, representatives of industry organizations have decided to establish a coalition and signed a “Joint declaration of Polish agri-food organizations, food producers and other interested entities for counteraction to food disinformation and food-related fake news”.
Since the liberalization of trade with Ukraine, the Polish and Community poultry sectors are also facing an influx of cheap poultry meat from Ukraine on an unprecedentedly large scale. Poultry producers understand the principles of market competition, however, the condition is that the Ukrainian party should undertake to ensure quality and welfare standards equivalent to those binding in the EU. The same is true for the growing imports of poultry meat from other directions, such as Brazil.
Another major problem is the instability on the markets of animal feed and energy. We realize that this situation is impacted by factors beyond our direct control, yet it makes production planning very difficult.
What about the great EU reform known as the European Green Deal?
Since the presentation of the “Field to Table” strategy in 2020, organizations associating farmers and processors have been actively participating in the amendment process of EU regulations concerning animal welfare. Nobody negates the need to introduce changes. However, we strongly assert that the process of transformation towards a sustainable production model has to rest on three pillars: environmental, social, and economic. The latest scientific opinions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on broiler welfare are only based on one pillar, which is an unacceptable manipulation.
Meeting the radical recommendations on application of maximum stocking density and restriction of the growth pace of broilers will cause a 70% reduction of poultry meat production in the European Union, whereas the remaining 30% would be produced at prices so high that only a small portion of the society would be able to afford it. As a result, we can expect drastic increase of imports from countries where the production conditions clearly differ from the stringent EU standards.
Will Poland remain the leader of poultry exports to third countries?
I think it will. A robust base of poultry farming sector and the high competitiveness of processing plants, combined with extensive informational and promotional activities, should help us maintain the leading position. Of course, like in any business, there are things that just cannot be foreseen. In our case, these are infectious poultry diseases, such as the avian flu which has already caused great losses in many countries. I believe the ongoing discussion concerning introduction of avian flu vaccines, as well as further investments in state-of-the-art global solutions, elevating the biosecurity level even higher, will allow us to mitigate this risk.
Thank you
Monika Górka
