Poland primarily sells chicken close to home

The growing production of Polish poultry meat has for years led to rising volumes of exported meat. Although the number of slaughters declined slightly last year, the total produced volume of meat in 2025 was a fraction above the level of 2024. Poland is becoming an increasingly important partner in poultry meat for buyers in European markets, according to trade data from the year 2025. Despite a high number of outbreaks of various infectious diseases, including bird flu, the number of poultry slaughters in Poland in 2025 is at a fairly high level. Also in 2025, a considerable part of the exported volume had to be sold on foreign markets. The self-sufficiency rate (ratio of production/domestic need) has for several years been around 300%: for every kilo of poultry meat produced, 2 kilos are sold abroad. Export further grown According to Eurostat figures, total poultry meat production amounted to 2,468,000 tons, some 35,000 tons, or 1.4%, above the level of a year earlier. Up to and including November, exports of poultry meat to all foreign destinations came to 1,691.000 tons and thus were a fraction above the level of 2024, when up to and including November some 1,676 thousand tons of poultry meat crossed the border. The increase is mainly due to larger volumes toward buyers within Europe. The volume to buyers on the European continent rose up to and including November to 1,377 thousand tons. That was as much as 4.1% more than in 2024. In particular, a sharp increase of 21% was recorded toward Germany. The volume came to 272 thousand tons; that was still 224 thousand tons a year earlier. Exports to the Netherlands in 2025 were at a comparable level of around 165 thousand tons. The main intra-European trading partners for Poland are Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. These four countries take around 50% of the European export volume. 10 years Although demand for poultry meat has been good in recent years, Polish producers partly serve the same markets as Dutch processors. From time to time, they therefore clearly notice the grown supply in Poland. Although there are now sufficient sales opportunities and production is fairly tight, these are no guarantees for the future. In weaker times, the growing Polish volume can then put extra pressure on the regions for which the Dutch poultry sector also produces. In 2017, Polish poultry products exported around 839 thousand tons to buyers within Europe. This means that sales on its own continent have risen by some 70% in the period up to and including 2025.