August 31, 2006

Smithfield's Polish pork operations to tap Western European markets

American meat processor Smithfield Foods announced it would double sales from its Polish pig meat division to supply growing demand from Western European markets.

The Prima farms group, which supplies the country's Polish arm Aminex, is to double its number of sows from 61,000 to 120,000, despite an existing Russian ban on Polish beef and pork products.

Russia was formerly the top importer of pork from Poland and the ban has hit Polish agriculture hard, forcing Polish producers to look for alternative markets such as Western Europe, said Jean-Luc Meriaux, secretary general of the European livestock and meat trading union (UECBV).