Will Polish chick slaughter resume growth trend?

The slaughter figures of Polish poultry showed a volatile picture in 2025. Outbreaks of avian influenza in the previous winter season brought the growing Polish sector to a halt. The year started with significantly lower slaughter numbers in the period up to and including June. This was a change for the processing industry, which is clearly geared towards expansion. After the difficult start, however, the number of slaughterings has increased again. Meanwhile, the figures on the development of the number of hatching eggs provide an indication of the slaughter numbers in the fourth quarter. Where the Polish broiler sector showed growth for years, the slaughter figures were below the level of the previous year for as much as six months this spring. A recovery occurred in the third quarter, mainly due to a substantial year-on-year increase in the number of slaughterings in July. In total, Polish slaughterhouses processed 333 million chickens (including laying hens) in July, August, and September; compared to 328 million pieces last year. Many breeding animals culled During the avian influenza wave last winter and spring, a significant number of companies with breeding animals were depopulated. According to figures from the United States Department of Agriculture, the number of culled breeding animals in the country approached 900,000 (figures May 2025). The culling of these numbers of breeding animals led to a shortage of available chicks for broiler companies. The scarcity in the available number of chicks was clearly visible in figures published by Statistics Poland (Polish Statistical Office). Although the number of hatched eggs for broiler chickens had clearly recovered in the months from May to July compared to the early months of this year, the figures for September and October indicate further recovery. The number of hatched eggs for broiler chickens is even well above the level of the same months in 2024. In October, the number of hatched eggs even reached a record level of over 154 million pieces. A significant increase compared to the approximately 125 million pieces from February to April. The recent strong increase in the number of deposited and hatched hatching eggs is a signal that the number of broiler slaughterings in Poland could reach a high level in the last months of this year. This aligns with the opinion of insiders from the poultry meat industry who have been reporting since October that the supply from Eastern Europe is considerably higher. Poultry slaughterings Poland (in millions of pieces) Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep 2025 95 100 101 130 102 106 2024 114 108 107 114 108 107 In the coming months, it will have to be seen whether the impact of avian influenza will again affect broiler production in Poland this year. For the Polish sector, it will be especially important to keep the companies involved in the reproduction of poultry, breeding animals, and the rearing of these animals safe from the effects.