The Polish poultry industry is one of the strongest sectors in the Polish economy. Why is Polish poultry appreciated by foreign consumers?
Last year, according to data from the Central Office of Statistics (GUS), The production of poultry meat in Poland increased to 1 849 million tonnes. From this, 642 thousand tonnes of poultry was exported. An increase in production and export is also expected in the current year. At present, Poland is one of the largest producers and exporters of poultry meat in Europe and one of the world leaders in this market. Polish poultry is produced in modern plants with functional facilities for livestock rearing.
Where is this success from? Like in most markets, price plays an important role – still, due to the cost of production, we are able to offer poultry meat at competitive prices compared to offers of other European producers. But price is only one element, Polish poultry is also characterized by exceptional quality and taste values. This is associated with the full control of the production process from "farm to table" as well as the health safety of products guaranteed by national and EU regulations. It is worth emphasizing the importance of vertical integration in the Polish poultry sector, which accounts for its stability and strength.
Polish suppliers of poultry in the European and global market also stand out, because of their high flexibility in adjusting the offer to customer expectations, both in terms of size and securing the supply, as well as the assortment range. All the mentioned characteristics distinguish the Polish poultry sector from the global market, and are the deciding factors on the strength of the country's position as a leader in the production of poultry.
Chicken meat outweighs turkey, the goose and duck market is also growing. How are the preferences of poultry consumption changing?
For years, the poultry consumption in Poland has risen on average at half a kilogram, annually. Statistically, a Pole eats about 27.5 kg of white meat. A larger amount of this meat gets to the foreign market. At present, the share of the various poultry species used in the production of white meat in Poland are as follows: the leader being chicken with a share of close to 80%, next, turkey (approx. 16-17%), then goose and duck, as well as other poultry (approx. 3-4%).
Undoubtedly, the strength in the poultry industry in comparison to the red meat sector is the diversity of the products offered – each type of poultry meat has its special features, varied taste and nutrients. Both in the internal and export markets we promote the premium species of poultry, especially young Polish Oatmeal Goose.
Every third kilogram of poultry is exported. Is this good result also seen in the export of processed poultry?
The export of processed poultry products from Poland is growing as rapidly as the export of poultry meat, however, it is still only a margin in the total volume of sales to foreign markets. The industry is making efforts to increase shares in the export of products with added value, including processed poultry products.
The largest recipient of Polish poultry outside its boarders are.....
Most of the Polish poultry – over 80% - goes to the European countries, above all to Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Great Britain, In the past few years, export to China and African countries increased. Currently, the industry is highly focused on export to the third countries. Of great importance, in the development of sales outside the EU, is meat obtained in accordance with religious requirements, e.g. halal, not only in context of the quantity potential, but above all, the possibility to reach margins.
Does the Russian embargo have a large influence on the situation in the poultry market?
At the moment, we have not noticed any significant influence caused by the embargo from Russia on the sales of poultry. So far, our exports to that market has been less than 1% of the overall production exported abroad.
What could be dangerous for the industry and the economy as a whole are the disturbances connected with the supply of poultry in the global market. I would like to remind you that the embargo introduced by Russia, also hit the leading poultry producers in the EU and in the world (eg. USA).
Polish poultry has its own certification system QAFP . Please tell us about the quality of Polish poultry.
Goods from Poland are produced under additional production control systems, guaranteeing high quality and food safety. Thanks to which, the consumer can easily judge whether the products purchased are of good value and not harmful to health.
One of the most popular systems of classifying the quality of meat products in Poland, including poultry, is the Food Quality Guaranteed System - QAFP. Independent auditors are appointed to supervise all participants in the production chain, assessing whether manufactured goods meet the system requirements. QAFP standards cover all stages of poultry production - from farming, animal feeding and rearing conditions, through to slaughtering, cutting, processing, transportation, packaging, distribution and sales. Thus, the entire production process from "farm to table" is subject to strict control in terms of the implemented system standards, guaranteeing the highest and most stable quality and complete safety of poultry meat.
Promotional campaigns such as "New quality in poultry" or "Serve Turkey" are very popular. How do we promote Polish poultry in foreign markets?
In Poland in recent years, KRD-IG conducted several major campaigns starting from 2010, when promoting geese, 2011 was devoted to the promotion of chicken meat, in 2012 and 2013 we informed consumers about the qualities of turkey meat, and in 2013 and 2014 focused on processed poultry. In 2015, we intend to promote duck meat. Despite a steady increase in the consumption of poultry meat in our country, we are not able to fully utilize the growth of the domestic poultry production. We must actively seek markets abroad. For this purpose we are making important promotional initiatives - such as our active presence in the most important industry food fairs like SIAL, ANUGA or IFE – which results in the establishment of valuable business relationships with partners around the world, and ends up with new export contracts. Currently, we are preparing to launch a program promoting poultry meat originating from the European Union and targeting the markets of third countries: South Africa and China, including Hong Kong.
Thank you for the interview.
Tomasz Pańczyk
