Kosher and halal markets are associated with higher prices, which guarantees the profitability of breeding. In turn, Polish breeding is fragmented, which guarantees the quality they need in kosher slaughter, for which they are willing to pay more. The remaining items mostly go to Muslim markets that need halal meat. Therefore, I hope that in the coming years there will not be another discussion in Poland about ritual slaughter, because it is a huge threat to our industry, as Wiesław Różański, president of UPEMI, explained.
The beef market is one of the most stable, as emphasized by Wiesław Różański, president of the management board of the Union of Producers and Employers of the Meat Industry (UPEMI), in an interview with our editorial office.
– The beef market in Poland has been the most stable market for several years. Breeders can count on good profits. It is true that they are smaller now, but last year they were high enough that the breeding farms had a chance to make up for the gains from previous years, noted Różański.
Beef exports will be quite stable
In the opinion of our interlocutor, interest in Polish cattle will grow and exports will remain at a level similar to the current one.
– In the case of our production, approximately 80 percent is exported to third countries and EU markets and I think that these exports will be quite stable. Turkey conquered our market this year – we exported a lot of beef there, and we still hear that Turkish companies are interested in the goods, and in some cases even taking over larger farmers, including investments in Poland in this direction – said Różański.
– There is a certain will to exist in this market, because we are dealing with halal and kosher markets, although the latter has been slightly slowed down by the war between Hamas and Israel, but nevertheless I think that exports will remain at a level similar to the previous one – he added .
Kosher and halal markets are key to the Polish beef industry
Kosher and halal markets are particularly valuable for Polish beef producers due to the prices offered.
– These markets are associated with higher prices, which guarantees the profitability of breeding. In turn, Polish breeding is fragmented, which guarantees the quality they need in kosher slaughter, for which they are willing to pay more. The remaining elements mostly go to Muslim markets that need halal meat, our interlocutor pointed out.
Różański explained that this is why it is so important to maintain slaughter for religious purposes.
– Therefore, I hope that in the coming years there will not be another discussion in Poland about ritual slaughter, because it is a huge threat to our industry. We had a foretaste of this a few years ago and saw the losses suffered by breeders and exporters. So I hope that politicians will not take the initiative to return to the infamous Five for Animals. Meanwhile, we, as industry organizations, will ensure that this does not happen. The current government is pro-agricultural and pro-business, so I think our voices will be heard and we will not change the promising market, said Różański.
Fighting disinformation is essential
Another important issue for the industry is the education of Polish society regarding the impact of beef consumption on the human body and the environment, as our interlocutor mentioned.
– I think that another necessary action is to educate the Polish society so that the consumption of beef on the Polish market can increase, despite various activities that the EC has launched as part of the Green Deal and limiting breeding, which destroys the environment. Let me point out right away that this is not true, because the data shows that transport produces, for example, much more emissions than cattle breeding. These famous 15 thousand liters of water that are supposed to be used to produce 1 kg of beef is also untrue. We are trying to torpedo and straighten out this false information, this is our role and we will constantly work in this regard, said Różański.
– We will repeat that breeding in Poland is a reason of state, because the population should have access to good quality food, and Polish breeders want this quality to be as high as possible. High quality will also allow us to compete with food coming to Europe, because unfortunately we will be receiving food from third countries, in unlimited quantities, where these products have little to do with well-being and quality, our interlocutor said. – I think we can do it. We will develop the Polish consumer’s awareness of the credibility of Polish food producers. This is our goal and I think we will achieve it, he added.
Having meat in your diet has many benefits
When asked about the time horizon in which the effect of the above-mentioned educational campaigns and the breaking of the narrative built by pro-animal organizations may be visible, Różański emphasized that the fight will be long and difficult.
– I think that we will have to fight for a long time and not give up even one step, because pro-ecological organizations have huge causative capital, i.e. their ability to finance these activities is much greater than ours. We must show that there is no life without meat, that it has been eaten and will be eaten. As pointed out by prof. The damage that veganism and vegetarianism can do to people’s nutrition is terrifying, emphasized Różański. – This education must start from an early age. We need to be informed that eating meat is not harmful. Of course, every diet must be carefully thought out, but it does not have to turn the way of eating upside down, because it may end badly for the body. First of all, common sense is needed, he added.
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