Poultry farmers in Egypt say ‘No’

Egypt is largely self-sufficient in broiler-meat production, which explains the local industry’s outrage at a government decision to allow imports of large quantities of frozen poultry meat. According to the government, the imported whole birds, thighs and breasts would be sold at discounted prices through the country’s state-run retail network with the aim to curb food prices during Ramadan.

In a trade deal that sounds similar to AGOA, Polish poultry and beef farmers stand to suffer massive losses when the EU-Mercosur trade agreement comes into effect.

The deal, which was signed in January 2026 after 25 years of negotiations, aims to remove tariffs on over 90% of goods traded between the EU and Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

For many Polish family farms, the new trade rules will be a death sentence with their profits predicted to fall by 50%. As a result, the industry expects a wave of consolidation from 2030 onwards, which will see a large percentage of medium-sized players eventually disappearing.

A huge part of the problem is the stringent requirements of the European Green Deal that requires Polish farmers to document every gram of fertiliser.

By contrast, Brazilian landowners can reduce unit costs by using GMO feed and neonicotinoids, which sets up a price competition that cannot be won through operational optimisation alone. In the words of Polish analysts, “This isn’t a battle of quality, but a brutal confrontation between two radically different agricultural production models.”

Poland’s poultry exports are also expected to decline sharply, placing between 15 000 and 30 000 jobs at risk. A similar result is predicted for beef and dairy exports, along with thousands more jobs disappearing. The total annual losses to Poland’s agriculture sector due to the impact of the EU-Mercosur agreement could be between €500 million and €1.06 billion per year.