Larry Goodman's ABP on the acquisition trail in Poland

The Polish competition watchdog UOKIK has reported that ABP Poland, the local subsidiary of Irish-based ABP Food Group, notified it of the proposed acquisition of the beef processing company Sklodowscy-Tykocin.

This would add to ABP’s two existing meat processing plants in the country, the agency noted.

According to UOKIK, Sklodowscy’s business is “the production and sale of meat” and the company “owns a processing establishment (slaughterhouses) in Tykocin,” a town in the northeast of the country.

Sklodowscy’s website states that “the company comprises:

The company adds that all its branches “apply state-of-the-art technology and meet global standards”, including HACCP hygiene certification. It boasts exporting licences to all European Union countries as well as 32 non-EU countries and lists its main markets as France, Italy, The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Slovenia, Lithuania and Portugal.

A spokesman for ABP told the Irish Farmers Journal that “nothing has been finalised or concluded” with regard to the deal with Sklodowscy.

“ABP is always looking for opportunities within markets in which we operate and this is part of that process,” he said.

As is the norm with Polish competition law, a proposed deal involving a Polish business must be notified to the competition authority at some stage during the process, but before the deal is completed.

Patrick Donohoe and Eoin Lowry contributed reporting for this story

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