Polish poultry slaughter quickly recovers after dip

The Polish broiler chicken industry experienced a turbulent first half of the year. Outbreaks of avian influenza have put significant pressure on the number of available hatching eggs, leading to unused capacity at broiler farms and unutilized slaughter hooks. Signals of recovery presented themselves a few months ago, and the number of slaughterings has now shown rapid recovery. In 2024, the number of poultry slaughterings (broilers and layers) fluctuated throughout the year around 110 million pieces per month, with a negative spike in December below 100 million pieces and a positive spike in October exceeding 120 million pieces. These numbers were not reached in the first half of this year. From February to May, the number of slaughterings dropped to about 95 million per month. After a recovery in the number of hatched eggs and set chicks in May and June, the number of slaughterings has also shown a significant recovery. Above 2024 levels This recovery proceeded so quickly that the number of slaughterings has now come well above last year's level. In May, June, and July, there were respectively 100, 101, and 130 million chickens on Polish hooks. Significantly more than during the dip in February 2025 when only 92 million chickens were slaughtered. The percentage increase in July compared to July 2024 is 14%. The total slaughter weight in July this year was 251,000 tons. That was 40,000 tons, or 19% more than in July 2024. A sign that the slaughter weights were also at a higher level, giving a further boost to total production. Poultry slaughterings Poland (in millions of pieces) January February March April May June July 2025 110 92 97 95 100 101 130 2024 111 100 104 114 108 107 114 Of the total number of chicken slaughterings of 130 million pieces in July, the number of broiler slaughterings was 124 million. The remaining slaughterings concerned other chickens such as spent layers. Stable production of hatching eggs Meanwhile, the number of hatching eggs for broilers seems to have developed stably at a fairly high level in recent months. After a dip of around 125 million hatched eggs from February to April, the number has been stable around 133 million pieces since May, according to statistics from the Polish statistical office. This could be a signal that the number of broiler slaughterings in Poland could also move around the level of July in the coming months, although changes regarding, for example, the avian influenza situation and other animal diseases could disrupt this development. Effect on prices The European poultry market reached great heights in the first 6 months of the year due to the tight supply of broilers in Poland. Although the demand for poultry meat is very good, it seems that the rising supply is now gaining more control over price development. While the average price in Europe for the broiler carcass has only decreased slightly, the Polish price has shown a significant correction this summer. Given the significantly increased supply, this is not surprising.