According to the president of the National Poultry Council Dariusz Goszczyński, Polish poultry producers may have serious problems. This is simply a European Commission agreement with the Mercosur countries, which may prevent Polish farmers from competing in the European market.
"Polish poultry farmers cannot compete with suppliers from Mercosur countries on equal terms due to the fact that they gotta meet standards that do not apply there," said Dariusz Goszczyński, president of the National Poultry Council. He added that cheaper Brazilian poultry could push Polish meat out of EU markets.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Friday in Montevideo that the European Union and the block of South American states Mercosur had completed negotiations on a free trade agreement. Von der Leyen met at the summit with the leaders of the Mecosur states: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia.
The agreement raises opposition from European farmers who fear the flooding of the EU marketplace through inexpensive agricultural products from countries specified as Brazil and Argentina. This includes poultry meat, which Brazil is the largest exporter in the world.
Poland, in turn, is the largest poultry exporter in the European Union and the 3rd in the planet after Brazil and the United States. National production of poultry meat amounted to 3.274 million tonnes in 2023. Of this, 57% were exported, of which 67% were exported to the European Union markets.
"As representatives of the Polish and European poultry industry, and more broadly the full meat sector, we measure the proposal of the agreement very negatively. Poultry and beef producers will find themselves in a very hard situation," said the president of the National Poultry Council of the Chamber of Commerce Dariusz Goszczyński.
In its assessment, the possible entry into force of the Agreement will consequence in an increase in import quotas for meat from South America. "Our breeders are incapable to compete with suppliers from Brazil due to the deficiency of production standards in the country, so that the farmers there have importantly lower costs than we do. Polish farmers must meet stringent standards, specified as animal welfare, the usage of hormones and antibiotics, and environmental standards. Brazilian producers do not have specified obligations," he noted.
According to KRD-IG, meat producers from Mercosur countries will gain wide access to the European market. The agreement provides for the introduction of immense quantities of agricultural products on the European market, including 99 000 tonnes of beef, 180 000 tonnes of poultrymeat, 3.4 million tonnes of maize, 180 000 tonnes of sugar and 8.2 million hectolitres of biofuels. In Goszczyński's assessment for the Polish poultry sector specified a change may mean serious losses.
"It is hard to estimation them thoroughly now, but we know that quotas are to grow, which is to lead to quota-free trade in the long term. For Brazilian producers, the European marketplace will be more attractive than the current export directions, so they will be more willing to enter Europe," said Goszczyński.
Source: PAP
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