Poultry in Poland
The poultry sector is one of the most important sectors of domestic agricultural production with a long tradition of rearing and of great importance for the country’s food economy. Since 2014, Poland has been the largest poultry producer in the European Union, with the share of almost 20% in the EU production in 2021. The continued development of the production of poultry in Poland is stimulated by the growing export demand and the demand for poultry both from the domestic HoReCa sector and directly from consumers.
The production of live poultry in Poland is at the level of 2.6 million tonnes – 2.8 million tonnes per year, whereby the production of chickens is about 2.2 million tonnes and of turkeys – about 400 thousand tonnes. This large domestic supply allows to satisfy the high internal consumption and to send surplus production for export.
Poultry generates more than half of revenues obtained from the export of meat products in total. In 2022, the export of poultry products from Poland increased by 8% when compared to 2021, reaching more than 2 million tonnes (in carcass equivalent). Placing poultry products on the foreign markets is supported by the price competitiveness of the Polish product range. In 2022, in the export of poultry from Poland the majority (91%) was poultry meat, whose foreign sale increased by 7% and amounted to nearly 1.6 million tonnes (in product weight). The largest share in the export of poultry meat was that of chicken meat (81% – 1.3 million tonnes) while turkey meat amounted to 13% (202 thousand tonnes). The share of duck and goose meat in the export structure was small and accounted for 2% and 1%, respectively.
Chicken
Chicken meat is the dominant type of poultry meat produced in Poland. It is characterized by the high content of full-value, easily assimilable protein, with a low share of fat and cholesterol, as well as low calorific value. The nutritive value of chicken meat proteins is high and comparable to the amino acid standard recommended by FAO/WHO. Chicken meat contains group B vitamins, macro- and micronutrients as well as unsaturated fatty acids.
In Poland, rearing of chickens is concentrated mainly in the
- Mazowieckie (share of 23% in the domestic population) and
- Wielkopolskie (19%) Voivodeships
and to the lower extent in the
- Łódzkie (8%),
- Zachodniopomorskie and
- Podlaskie Voivodships (7% each).
The European Union countries are the largest customers of chicken meat from Poland. In 2022, the largest quantity of this product range was exported to
- Germany (183 thousand tonnes, 14%),
- the Netherlands (146 thousand tonnes, 11%) and
- France (131 thousand tonnes, 10%).
Among the non-EU countries, chicken meat was sold to:
- the United Kingdom (144 thousand tonnes, 11%),
- Ukraine (57 thousand tonnes, 4%) and
- the Democratic Republic of Congo (53 thousand tonnes, 4%).
Turkey
Turkey meat is the meat with the lowest calorific value among all poultry species. It has valuable dietary properties, has a very delicate structure and the low content of intramuscular fat. Turkey meat contains magnesium, phosphorus, small amounts of B group vitamins and vitamin PP. It is also perceived in human nutrition as a source of easily assimilable zinc. The consumption of this type of meat is recommended in the nutrition of children, as well as the elderly and sick persons, due to its easy digestibility, low fat content and high assimilability.
In 2021, Poland, after Germany, was the second largest producer of turkey meat in the European Union. The domestic production of this type of meat is at the level of about 360–406 thousand tonnes and is concentrated mainly in the Warmińsko-Mazurskie and Wielkopolskie Voivodeships, with about 57% of the population of turkeys in total, as well as in the Lubuskie (15%) and Mazowieckie (10%) Voivodeships.
In 2022, the export of turkey meat from Poland was sent mainly to the EU countries, inter alia,
- Germany (67 thousand tonnes, 33%),
- Spain (20 thousand tonnes, 10%),
- the Czech Republic (13 thousand tonnes, 7%),
- Italy and France (9 thousand tonnes each, 5% each).
Among the non-EU countries, customers of turkey meat were
- the United Kingdom (10 thousand tonnes, 5%) and
- the Democratic Republic of Congo (6 thousand tonnes, 3%).
Source: Polish Food