Foreign control of Polish meat sector necessary to make companies profitable

Foreign investors who have a controlling stake run most of the publically listed companies from the meat sector. French company L.D.C. has almost 100% stake in Drosed. Campofrio Alimentacion holds a similar position in Morliny. Two companies with the strongest position on the Polish market, Animex S.A. and Sokolow are also dependent on foreign investors. US-based Smithfield Foods is the major shareholder of Animex, and Swedish Farmers Federation in Sokolow. In all cases, these are investors who make all the major decisions. Stanislaw Zieba from the Polish Association of Producers, Exporters and Importers of Meat emphasizes however that these are still Polish companies, as they are processing Polish meat, use Polish labor, and sell mostly on the domestic market. Although foreign investors have money and experience, the Polish meat sector will not be profitable very quickly. Analysts predict their influence will be seen in a few years. (Prawo i Gospodarka, page 1, 11)