Smithfield Poland follows the mission and operating philosophy of its owners, for whom acting in accordance with the principles of sustainable development is an absolute priority and “signpost”. Therefore, the development of our Company takes place thanks to and in close cooperation with hundreds of Polish farmers and pig breeders, in full respect of the principles of partnership and sustainable development. The steady growth of our Company leads to the stable development of our partners. And in turn, our joint development translates into improved environmental protection or the lives of local communities.
Cooperation with Polish farmers takes place on many levels. From crop production to hog farming, to the purchase of livestock for our meat plants.
In 2013 alone, Smithfield Poland purchased over a billion zlotys worth of pigs from Polish farmers. We support our suppliers with knowledge and advice aimed at supplying material of the highest quality in order to obtain premium subsidies on top of the basic price.
We help communities in our locations by supporting young learners(check out the Smithfield Foundation) and also by helping people affected by fate. Thanks to the Company’s development, we are creating jobs in local markets that are often places with very high unemployment.
In the locations where we operate, we are not only among the largest employers, but also tend to be the largest local tax payer making up municipal or city budgets.
We organize meetings with stakeholders, i.e. our growers, suppliers, customers, consumers, local government and community representatives/ to communicate the company’s sustainability efforts and the impact of those efforts on the local environment. We are holding discussions and consultations for continuous improvement of the undesirable impact on the environment and local surroundings. We jointly assess possible outbreaks of threats and together develop plans to eliminate them.
We are making sure that the economic benefits and the so-called “economic benefits. The added value from this were obtained by all stakeholders and led to the growth and improvement of the competitiveness of our Company but also of our partners.