Meat congress hears diverse view from Russia
Musheg Manikonyan, chairman of the Meat Council of the United Economic Area, said meat consumption in general was growing in the Russian market, and the country was working hard to improve its production processes.
He said poultry production was up by 14% and, across all sectors, work was under way to improve efficiency and boost production. He said Russia was working with other countries such as the Netherlands to share best practice.
"In 2005, 85% of our hog production was from smaller, less-efficient companies. Ten years ago, we had no choice but to import a lot of pork. But with 10 years of hard work we now have a lot of companies that are using up-to-date technology, and we are working in collaboration with EU companies.
"There’s a great need for collaborative partnerships around the world."
He said poultry meat remained the number one choice for Russian consumers, with consumption standing at around 29kg per capita, while pork stood at 22kg and beef at 18kg.
"Russian people will continue to consume more poultry and this will affect imports of beef and pork. We will continue to increase imports of poultry, but at the same time work to increase domestic production."
He said the country was around 79% self-sufficient when it came to poultry production. "We recognise that import plays an important role in domestic consumption," he said, but added: "Russian people prefer domestically produced products."
He said it was a "pity" that African Swine Fever, which Russia had cited as a reason to block European imports of pork, had caused "food security" problems in the European market.
