Germany’s Tönnies eyes €200m investment in Serbian pig farming project

German meat processor Tönnies is aiming to launch a €200m investment in setting up a pig farming project in Serbia in cooperation with local breeders.

The planned investment was unveiled by Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic following his meeting with the company’s chief executive and owner, Clemens Tönnies, in Germany.

The Serbian authorities expect the project to provide employment for some 8,000 persons, according to the information obtained by local business news site eKapija.com.

The chief executive said his firm was interested in expanding to the Serbian market with the support of the country’s authorities, according to a statement released by the Serbian government.

"The dialogue with Serbia’s Prime Minister Vucic has been continuing, and the visit was planned a long time ago. We are closely monitoring the local market. The country, owing to its ongoing development and geographical location, is very interesting to us both as an export market and a location for production," Tönnies said in a statement released by his company.

The planned project would allow the meat processor to expand its operations into Eastern Europe. The company employs about 8,000 persons at seven production facilities in Germany and one in Denmark. Tönnies says that export sales generate about 50% of the firm’s revenues.

Set up in 1971 and based in Rheda-Wiedenbruck, Germany, Tönnies says its core business activities are centred on the slaughtering, butchering and processing of pigs, sows and beef cattle.