The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the Polish poultry industry to the brink of crisis, according to a USDA report. Although Poland remains the EU’s largest poultry producer, demand for Polish poultry meat among Western European hotel, restaurant, and institutional (HRI) stakeholders dropped sharply in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
After the December HPAI outbreak, several export markets banned Polish poultry and egg products, notably South Africa, China, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates, and the Philippines. In 2019, 87% of Polish poultry meat was exported to other EU markets, particularly the UK, Germany, and France, wrote the USDA. In terms of the coronavirus pandemic, large chicken and turkey operators that are focused on HRI export markets in the UK and Germany are the ones that are particularly a"ected, noted the US organization. "Orders dried up and cross-border logistics become challenging." Domestic demand for poultry meat also declined following almost no HRI sales, reported the USDA.
In March 2020, poultry meat exports declined by about 12% compared to the same month last year, with exports to the Netherlands and Belgium the most reduced. They are the countries which import. Polish poultry meat mainly for re-export outside of the EU, said the USDA citing data from Poland’s National Chamber of Poultry and Feed Producers (NCPFP).
Source: globalmeatnews.com.
