Ireland-based meat, animal nutrition, and renewables giant, ABP Food Group, has expanded in Poland with the acquisition of its third production facility in the country. The acquisition follows ABP’s acquisition of its first plant in Pniewy, Poland in 2011, and its 2013 purchase of its second facility in Klosowice in 2013.

As Ireland’s largest beef processor, this acquisition of a plant located in Tykocin in eastern Poland from Sklodowsky brings the group’s total processing capacity in the country to 250,000 head of cattle per year.

Production at the facility, known as ABP Tykocin, has already begun, with meat produced at the site destined for markets in Poland, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, and Lithuania.

The announcement of ABP’s expansion in Poland comes only one week after the European Commission granted unconditional approval for ABP Group and UK-based agri-food company, Fane Valley, to acquire Slaney Foods and Slaney Proteins after completing an investigation under the EU Merger Regulation.

Concern arose among farming organizations in regard to the maintenance of competition and the volume of animal kill since all three companies involved purchase and slaughter cattle, sheep, and lambs as well as process and de-bone meat, the marketing of fresh beef, lamb and mutton, and the collection of animal by-products generated by slaughtering.

However, the Commission found that the deal would not “adversely impact effective competition in the EU’s single market” based largely on the fact that Irish farmers sell across a broad geographic spread, and that the ability to switch slaughterhouses will remain a viable option if they choose to seek out higher prices for their cattle or livestock.

—

Lynda Kiernan