FAS started unscheduled inspections of large poultry companies

Representative offices of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS RUSSIA) in all regions of the country have begun unscheduled inspections of the largest poultry enterprises

In April, information on the supply of eggs and chicken MEAT, obtained from the results of inspections, will be submitted to the government. The rise in prices for these socially important types of poultry products is discussed at weekly price monitoring meetings chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov. The Federal Antimonopoly Service has been instructed to check the validity of pricing and to identify possible abuses by large players of their dominant position in the market. 

According to Rosstat, in February, broiler meat became the leader in terms of consumer price growth. Chilled and frozen chicken carcasses have risen in price by 4.65% mom and by 6.61% since the beginning of 2021. In general, prices for poultry meat increased by 1.63% in February, and by 2.44% in two months. On an annualized basis, chicken has risen in price by 12.96%.

The price of chicken eggs in February increased by 2.25%, and since the beginning of this year - by 1.94%. Compared to February last year, eggs have risen in price by 28.22%.

In just a week, from March 2 to March 9, the price of chicken meat in Russia rose again by 1.7% At the same time, large companies that are members of the National Union of Poultry Breeders (NSP) agreed to freeze selling prices for chicken carcasses and eggs in March and April. The Ministry of Agriculture of Russia proposed measures to support the industry in the form of increasing the limit for preferential short-term lending and extending the payment terms for preferential investment loans to enterprises affected by bird flu. In addition, representatives of the ministry promised to consider the possibility of compensating part of the costs per kilogram of produced and sold products.

The Ministry of Agriculture expects that poultry production in the country will fully recover in May, which will help stabilize prices in the consumer market. At the same time, in 2021, the departmental center for agricultural analytics predicts a decrease in the output of broiler meat by 40,000 tons, to 4.99 million tons.