Polish poultry meat exports are growing mainly in the EU

Polish poultry production is growing rapidly this year. The country has been exporting for quite some time, and that means additional volume is sold largely outside the national borders. In recent years, the growing meat volume has mainly been sold within Europe. Here, export volumes are clearly continuing to rise, while the quantities sold to countries outside Europe are lagging somewhat behind. The Polish poultry chain slaughtered a record number of broilers in the first six months of the year. The sector has clearly set its sights on growth again, after slaughter numbers stabilized somewhat in recent years due in part to bird flu and Newcastle Disease. The number of processed animals exceeded 700 million, an increase of around 13.2%. Meat volume grew even faster, rising by around 14.4%, or 171,000 tons, to 1,355,000 tons. Nearby destination remains popular Polish exporters were able to sell more poultry meat, especially within Europe, in the first months. Through May, the volume sold to countries on the European continent amounted to 658,000 tons, compared with 596,000 tons a year earlier. That is an increase of 10.4% compared with the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, our own imports of Polish poultry meat have been fairly stable in recent years. On a monthly basis, import volume fluctuates between 10,000 and 15,000 tons. After a clear peak in volumes in 2023, imports are now at a somewhat lower level again. On the European market, our country is the number four importer of Polish poultry meat. The main buyers for the Poles are Germany, France and the United Kingdom. Outside Europe, distant destinations such as Ghana and Congo are the main buyers, closely followed by the Philippines. In addition, a third of the total volume goes to a large group of other countries. Exports outside Europe are growing The total exported volume outside Europe amounted to 292,000 tons through May, compared with 275,000 tons last year. That represents an increase of around 17,000 tons, or more than 6%. Although the volume was above last year's level, it is still clearly below the 2024 level. That year, a record amount of Polish poultry meat was exported outside Europe. Large-scale outbreaks of bird flu may have curbed exports in recent period. Within Europe, regionalisation principles apply. Such agreements have not been made with all countries outside Europe. As a result, some export flows from certain areas can be temporarily suspended. Overall, Poland's export volume grew by around 80,000 tons, clearly less than production (+171,000 tons). That may indicate that consumption in Poland has increased or that more meat has been added to stocks.