German meat processor Tönnies is to sign a new agreement with the Serbian government this June, sealing a €300m investment in the country’s pig breeding and meat processing sectors.
This is according to Serbia’s Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, who confirmed the projects are to be implemented in the next five years.
The plan was unveiled following a meeting between Vučić and the company’s owner, Clemens Tönnies, the Serbian government said in a statement. Vučić stated that, in the first year of its operations in the Serbian market, the company is to purchase pigs from local farms and set up a meat processing facility. In addition to this, Tönnies is working on setting up 10 pig farms in Serbia, according to the statement.
Vučić said that, currently, about 2.8m head are processed per year by Serbia-based pork meat processors. The Prime Minister stated that the German company processes more than 17m pigs and about 400,000 cattle per year, and has an annual turnover of more than €5bn.
«With its planned investments, Tönnies is aiming to strengthen its presence in the markets of south-east Europe. The company’s expansion in our country will generate work for Serbian meat producers, rather than stifle production.» — the Prime Minister said.
The German firm’s export sales represent about 50% of its total output. Tönnies has a wide range of pre-packed fresh meat, boiled ham, cured pork products, and sausages in its product portfolio, according to data from the company. The firm said its nine production facilities were IFS-, BRC- and HACCP-certified.
The planned deal is seen as a potential major stimulus for the Serbian economy.
GlobalMeatNews