The Polish Meat Union is an organization representing the economic interests of its affiliated entities acting within the meat industry and cooperating with the Association in the field of the manufacturing, trading and/or services, particularly in front of the state authorities.
As a union, Polish Meat forms and disseminates ethical principles in business activities, in particular, working out and improving thorough codes of conduct in the economic turnover.
The Polish Meat Union is entitled to express opinions on draft solutions relating to the functioning of the economy and it can also take part, on terms specified in separate regulations, in the preparation of the draft legislation in this regard. The Association can carry out assessments of the implementation and the operation of the legislation on economic activity, especially in the field of the meat industry and on its behalf.
The task of the Polish Meat Union is to contribute to creation of conditions for the development of economic life and to support economic initiatives of the members. At the same time, the Union can promote, in cooperation with the relevant educational authorities, the development of vocational education, vocational training in the workplace and further training for employees.
Especially, the Polish Meat Union can delegate its representatives at the invitation of the State authorities to participate in the work of advisory and consultative institutions in the matters of manufacturing, trading and service activities of the agro-food sector and, in particular, of the meat industry. The Association can also organize and create conditions to settle a dispute amicably and by means of the conciliation procedure, and it can take part, based on separately defined principles, in the legal proceedings with regard to the economic activity of its members. The Polish Meat Union can issue opinions on existing manners of the business activity and it can also inform about the functioning of entrepreneurs, as well as express opinions on the state of economic development in the area of the Union’s activity.
The Polish Meat Union acts to adjust the production, processing and trade to the requirements of the market, especially in terms of the quantity and the quality of products.
The Polish Meat Union’s ambition is:
- full consolidation of the meat industry based on healthy and confirmed principles and its integration on behalf of the common interests
- systematic building of strong meat industry lobbying
- professional promotion of the Polish products from the member companies on the common European market and on other global markets
- promotion of the members and the actions of the Polish Meat Union in the media and during the events.
That is why our organization, in order to meet the expectations of the current and the new members, sets itself targets such as:
- making an effort to protect the interests of its companies and its members
- long-term, thorough and professional help for the members in the field of risk assessment while undertaking investment projects, assessing the credibility of contractors, credit application forms etc.
- offering help in legal issues
- providing current information about the possibilities of profiting from EU Structural Funds and preferential credits
- promotion of reliable companies and high-quality products in the media and on the foreign market; especially, introducing the dissemination program of the Polish Meat word and device trademark registered in the Polish Patent Office
- assistance in the process of organization of the international food trade fairs
- providing the union members with the valid legal acts and the current information about the economic situation in the core markets, price indications, change tendencies, forecasts etc.
- guaranteeing of the access to the advice of the greatest authorities in the field of food law, veterinary medicine, finance, economy, environmental protection and waste disposal
- making the constructive use of intellectual potential, knowledge and both the positive and negative experiences of companies that are in need of support at the moment
- equal treatment of all members of the Union, regardless of the work experience, the company’s size and the market position.
The meat industry provides employment to more than 100,000 people working in slaughter houses and in the meat processing industry, as well as to one million people working in agriculture. This is around 7% of employees in Poland. It generates approximately 8.5 milliard PLN of added value (i.e. 1.7% of GDP). Such a large production capacity requires a representative on the local and the European market. An example of such a representative is the Polish Meat Union. It was established in 1994 as an all-Poland professional organization. Currently, it consists of over 100 companies from the meat industry and its surroundings, of which the vast majority is made up of big and medium-sized modern industrial enterprises. Within the structures of the Union, there are also smaller industrial meat establishments which have constant veterinary supervision and EU rights. They are distinguished by the high production quality. The members use, among other things, HACCP and ISO systems and EUROP system in order to asses meat raw materials. They also use high-tech technology of the meat processing industry and the slaughter of animals. In addition, meat establishments continue to develop integration processes with the raw material base thanks to contracting and long-term cooperation. They also meet EU requirements in the field of the whole chain of the safe and healthy food achieved by environmentally friendly methods. Only such enterprises which meet the criteria given above can become the members of the Union. The total share of the Union’s member companies in the selling of meat and meat products exceeds 70% on the domestic market and 80% on the export market. The main export directions are the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Furthermore, the sale on the Community markets, which appreciate to a great extent the quality and the taste of the Polish products, is definitely increasing. The meat enterprises affiliated to the Union make a special effort to construct a raw materials supply chain based on animal welfare principles. The vast majority of raw materials are bought from farmers under the terms of the contracts and cooperation. The meat industry is largely based on domestic breeding. When it comes to the pig population, Poland takes the fourth place in Europe and the seventh place in the world. For such a big sector, the Association applies for a place in legal, regulatory and institutional arrangements and for a rightful position in the social and economic strategy of the country, as well as in actions at the Commission and the European Parliament.
Because of the high position of the meat industry in the country’s economy, the following goals of the Polish Meat Union must be fulfilled:
- representing the interests of the meat industry to the state and the self-government administration;
- involvement in works and representing the interests of the industry in the economic and the local self-government;
- promotion and help in the implementation of modern trends and methods of breeding, as well as of the slaughter and processing technology, trade and marketing;
- carrying out analyses and forecasts of the functioning of the meat industry
- stimulating and supporting efforts connected with the maintenance of the subsidized loans for the meat sector, as well as with increasing the role of structural funds under the Sector Operational Program “Modernization of the Food Sector and Rural Development”;
- promotion of Polish meat on the domestic and the Community export market and:
- development and strengthening of the position of the House as a representative of the meat industry’s interests in Poland, its dignified and independent place on the European Communities scale, as well as the development of effective cooperation with other organizations working in the agro-food industry on a national and international level;
- supporting efforts to respect the law and towards fair competition, as well as putting an emphasis on the partnership cooperation with large commercial networks and the sector of direct sales;
- implementation of system solutions in the pro-export policy beyond the European single market;
- development of the international industrial cooperation, e.g. with UECBV and CLITRAVI.
In 2006, from the Polish Meat Union was established the Polish Meat Chamber of Commerce whose activities will continue the practice of the Association in favour of the sector.