The Polish poultry industry is increasingly concerned about the inflow of cheaper meat from outside the European Union. Producers warn that the provisions of the EU–Mercosur agreement, which provides for additional poultry meat quotas from South American countries, could increase competitive pressure. Rising exports from China and the inflow of poultry from Ukraine are also becoming an additional challenge. At present, around 60% of Polish poultry production is already sold on foreign markets.
“Ever since information was presented about the finalisation of the European Union’s trade agreement with Mercosur, we have expressed firm opposition to this agreement, taking into account, among other things, the interests of the Polish economy, including the poultry sector in Poland. The key threat is that products of animal origin, including poultry meat from South America, mainly from Brazil, could displace Polish poultry, which has achieved success on European Union markets after more than a dozen years of stable development,” Adam Nowak, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, told Newseria.
Poland is the largest producer of poultry meat in the European Union. According to data from the Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics, production in 2025 amounted to around 3.23 million tonnes. For years, the sector has also been one of the largest poultry exporters in Europe, with the majority of production going to foreign markets.
“Exports account for around 60% of production. This is a channel that very strongly determines prices on the domestic market. Of course, the main sales market is still the European Union, which receives around two-thirds of the production exported from Poland. Maintaining this strategic position on European markets is very important, especially in the context of growing competition, whether from meat from Ukraine, Mercosur or, more recently, China,” said Dr Magdalena Kowalewska, Director of the Agri-Food Sector Analysis Office at BNP Paribas Bank.
For several years, poultry producers have been increasing their presence on Asian markets. The Ministry of Agriculture and the National Support Centre for Agriculture have been carrying out promotional activities in countries including South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia. For the industry, this represents an opportunity to reduce dependence on the EU market.
The National Poultry Council – Chamber of Commerce believes that the entry into force of the EU–Mercosur agreement could hit the domestic poultry sector particularly hard. The European Commission has included in the agreement an additional duty-free quota of 180,000 tonnes of poultry meat from South American countries. The industry warns that producers from Brazil or Argentina are not subject to the same environmental and animal welfare requirements as EU producers, which makes competition increasingly difficult.
“The possibility that Polish poultry could be displaced by animal-origin products that do not meet the same standards, produced without ensuring welfare standards and other requirements that apply to Polish farms, was one of the main factors motivating the Ministry of Agriculture and the Polish government to voice firm opposition,” Adam Nowak pointed out. “We have also prepared national regulations so that no product that fails to meet the standards in force in Poland and Europe can enter the Polish market.”
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Health have prepared regulations tightening requirements concerning residues of active substances from plant protection products in food. The Ministry of Agriculture stresses that the regulations are intended to improve consumer safety and level the playing field between producers from the EU and those from outside the Community.
“We also place great hopes in the European regulations that ban the export of selected animal-origin products from Brazil to the European market after 3 September this year, precisely because of the failure to adapt conditions and the ability to control food at every stage of production,” the deputy minister said.
This concerns a regulation updating the list of third countries authorised to export animals and animal-origin products to the EU market. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the products in question include beef, horsemeat, poultry meat, aquaculture products and honey. Brazil has not submitted the relevant declarations guaranteeing the implementation of measures ensuring that certain antibiotics are not used in animals whose meat enters the EU market. The EU decision means that certain products cannot be exported to the Union until Brazil provides the appropriate guarantees that production standards are being met.
“We have no problem with trade competition, provided it is fair. The problem is that we are not playing by the same rules, because in the EU we have very high standards that do not apply to imports from third countries,” said Paul-Henri Lava, Deputy Secretary General of the European Poultry Meat Producers’ Organisation, AVEC. “Taking into account these additional standards and other issues, such as labour costs, we have quite a large competitiveness gap compared with third countries — 30% in the case of Brazil — which makes it very difficult for us to compete with them.”
According to an analysis by COPA-COGECA, the new quotas for Mercosur are around 50% higher than poultry exports from South American countries to the EU, which will almost certainly lead to a further increase in imports. The authors of the report note that in 2024 the EU was already importing around 900,000 tonnes of poultry a year, including 300,000 tonnes from Brazil. Poultry imported into the EU consists mainly of chicken breast fillets, the most valuable part of the meat. One in four fillets consumed in the Union comes from third countries, mainly Brazil, Thailand, Ukraine and China.
According to AVEC, the additional imports provided for in the Mercosur agreement would be equivalent to the combined poultry production of Sweden, Finland and Denmark. A volume of 180,000 tonnes of poultry would mean around 300 million chickens a year being imported into the EU instead of being produced by European farmers.
“In addition to the specific consequences, there is also a moral consequence: allowing imports from countries that do not comply with our standards does not help build citizens’ trust in EU production,” Paul-Henri Lava argued.
As he emphasised, European producers are not expecting additional financial support, but equal rules of competition. The organisation is calling for third countries exporting food to the EU to be subject to the same requirements on animal welfare, environmental protection and labour standards as the EU industry.
Apart from Mercosur countries, producers from China are also becoming increasingly important competitors for European poultry. China is already the world’s second-largest producer of broiler chicken meat. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture, China’s production is expected to rise to 17.3 million tonnes in 2026, while exports are forecast to reach 1.4 million tonnes. The USDA indicates that Chinese exports are growing thanks to competitive prices and expansion into new markets, especially in developing countries. For the European industry, this means greater competitive pressure also on non-EU markets.
“All countries that are exporters or potential exporters of poultry pose a threat to Poland’s position. However, we must remember that, beyond production itself, we pay attention to the highest standards met by Polish and European farms. The time of simple competitive advantages and competing on price alone is over. We must emphasise high quality, especially on very ambitious but also lucrative third-country markets, including Asian markets,” the deputy agriculture minister said.
According to European Commission data, Ukraine is currently the largest supplier of poultry meat from outside the EU. According to the Ukrainian Poultry Breeders Association, Ukrainian exports of poultry meat exceeded 450,000 tonnes in 2025, of which around 140,000 tonnes went to European Union countries. Industry organisations have been warning for several years that the increased inflow of agri-food products from Ukraine is affecting the price situation on the EU market.
“On the European market, our location and our ability to deliver fresh meat produced under full sanitary control in European conditions are our strong advantages. However, gaining third-country markets, especially non-EU markets, will become an increasingly difficult challenge, because we are seeing huge activity from Brazilian and Ukrainian exporters, as well as Asian exporters such as China, who are also looking for new export opportunities,” Dr Magdalena Kowalewska pointed out.
