CONCENTRATION PROCESSES IN THE MEAT SECTOR IN POLAND

The aim of the analysis was to identify the concentration processes in the meat sector in Poland in the years 2015-2018. The main source of information was the Thomson Reuters base, which was the source of data on the mergers and acquisitions in the meat sector in Poland. The study also made use of some press interviews with the experts in the meat industry and data storage statistics. The analysis show that structure of operators in the meat market in Poland is very fragmented. The small scale of production limits the competitiveness of operators in the country and abroad. In this situation, concentration processes take place on the market. They take different forms and types. In particular, the share of large foreign companies with a global scale of operations increases. Foreign capital is attracted by relatively low production costs, high quality meat and sTable markets. The entry of foreign companies on the Polish market was countered by the concentration of domestic enterprises. In the future concentration processes in the meat industry should have a greater coverage of supply chains. All in all, the global measure of the market efficiency, as well as the competitiveness, will be the functioning of the entire supply chain rather than individual elements.