U.S.-based exporters of poultry to Russia will not fill the quota for chicken meat imports into Russia set for 2010, according to Gennady Onishchenko, who serves as Russia’s public health chief and the head of the country’s consumer rights inspectorate Rospotrebnadzor. As of the first day of December, only 136 000 tons of poultry have been exported to Russia. The total quota for the U.S. is 600 000 tons. Thus, it would be extremely unlikely that the whole quota will be filled. The imports of poultry to Russia from the United States restarted in September. For almost three quarters of the years, poultry imports from the U.S. were banned because of Russia’s objections to the use of chlorine. Meanwhile, the shortage of imported chicken meat was compensated for by domestic production. Gennady Onishchenko expressed hope that domestic producers will continue to supply large volumes of poultry to the market next year.   

According to the government’s decree, the amount of pork imports to Russia in 2010 will be at most 500 000 tons, compared to 650 000 tons in 2009.

Internal consumption should be balanced with exports for Russia to develop an efficient livestock production industry.

According to Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev, the country will pursue the objective of achieving the status of a major exporter of food products to world markets. The government is ready to establish the necessary economic mechanisms and build the infrastructure for effective food processing and distribution.

At the session of the Presidium of the State Council addressing the development of meat cattle breeding, the Russian head of state noted that it is imperative for the country to lessen its dependence on imports in the livestock breeding industry. The President is convinced that Russia needs to organize its own livestock production, pointing to the recent successes of Russian companies in poultry and swine breeding.

The priority for Russia is to achieve self-sufficiency in meeting the domestic demand. To that end, the government should devise methods for forecasting meat demand, all the while adhering to the basic principle of food security for the Russian Federation. 

Substantial increases in the consumption of meat products are expected in many countries, especially for pork and poultry. Russia began to export its meat products to partner companies in Vietnam and China. Exports for 2009 were 10 000 tons and are bound to increase in later years. Russia plans to use the opportunities of working with foreign companies to secure a leading position on the global food products market. Internal consumption should be balanced with exports for Russia to develop an efficient livestock production industry. Achieving export growth will be the motivating factor for the expansion of the food products sector. For its part, the Russian government is ready to assist private enterprises with financing arrangements, infrastructure, and legislative support. Russia will still comply with the obligations under its international agreements.

Another target for the meat-processing industry is to attain self-sufficiency for Russia’s internal market. In the 1990s, the Russian meat sector experienced numerous financial difficulties, causing sharp drops in production rates. As a consequence, Russia came to be one of the major importers of meat in that decade. While the situation has changed for the better, the country is still a net importer of meat products.

Russia will add the issue of meat exports to the agendas for its talks on World Trade Organization accession and for the discussions with Kazakhstan and Belarus on the creation of a customs union. The paramount goal for the Russian government is to make the situation better for Russia’s domestic producers. Another area that should receive attention in the Russian farming industry is pedigree livestock breeding.