Abstract

In Poland, a characteristic feature of live pig production is its dispersion. The purpose of the article is to present the current level of concentration of pig producers and pig population, as well as structural changes that have taken place after Poland’s accession to the European Union. The reference point for the degree of concentration in Poland is the degree of concentration of producers and livestock numbers in countries such as Denmark or Germany. These countries were included in the production and export of pigs and pig meat due to their position. The analysis confirms that despite the progress in concentration, both the structure of producers and the population are still fragmented. In 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development took the initiative to create an electronic sales platform under the name “Food Platform”. One of the goals of its establishment is to strengthen the position of farmers, who are the weakest link in the supply chain. The point is that trading on the Food Platform would bring benefits not only to large companies, but also to small entities that face difficulties to operating independently on the market. One of the products recommended for trade on the Food Platform is red meat (pork and beef) and products from this meat (Szczepaniak, Ambroziak and Drozdz, 2019). Although trade in pork half-carcases is foreseen further (wheat is to be the pilot product) and in addition will be based on transactions between slaughterhouses and processing plants, the fragmentation of production in question will have an impact on this turnover. The turnover on the platform, in turn, may affect the position of farmers. The trade may require joint (group) action of producers, and perhaps also the proper organization of the trade on the part of the platform.

Highlights

  • The production of live pigs in Poland is one of the most important sectors of agricultural production

  • This consumption structure is supported by population preferences and relatively high import of pork products which is related to these preferences

  • In Poland, when compared to these countries, the highest percentage of pigs is on farms with fewer than 1,000 head, the percentage of pig population kept on farms with more than 5,000 head is higher than in Germany

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Summary

Introduction

The production of live pigs in Poland is one of the most important sectors of agricultural production. In 2018, its value accounted for 11.0% of the global production value and 13.6% of the commodity value of agricultural production (unpublished GUS data, 2019). It was the fourth product (after milk, cereals and poultry). The share of pork in the total consumption in 2018 was 52.3%, while that of poultry meat amounted to 35.3% This consumption structure is supported by population preferences and relatively high import of pork products which is related to these preferences. Poland is a net importer of live pigs, pork and pork products. In 2018, Poland was ranked fifth among the EU-28 countries in terms of the export volume of pork products to third countries (after Germany, Spain, Denmark and the Netherlands)

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