Polish meat plants are finding European Union standards difficult to swallow

Only 1% of Polish meat plants meet European Union (EU) standards, while 60% have problems with fulfilling Polish norms, said deputy Agriculture Minister Robert Gmyrek yesterday. The greatest reservations EU experts visiting Polish meat plants have concern the well-being of the animals - many producers do not comply with EU standards for transporting and slaughtering animals, which are meant to limit their suffering. Despite this, Gmyrek believes that all 4,000 meat processing plants will be ready to join the EU in 2003. Poland ranks fourth in Europe and sixth in the world in pork production. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 15) T.J.