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Chicken is a versatile and most affordable meat. It is not surprising that rumors about its possible shortage due to sanctions worry our readers. “They said on TV that if feed additives rich in vitamins are no longer supplied to Russia, chickens will begin to wither,” writes Elena Borisovna from Strogin. How things really are in the field of poultry farming, SZ understood.

Today in stores there is a shortage of chicken and eggs and does not smell. On the contrary: you can choose goods from different manufacturers. And the prices are quite reasonable. So, in the shopping center on Planernaya, the price of eggs starts at 63 rubles per dozen C1, chicken thigh - from 159 rubles per kilo. In the store on Jan Rainis Boulevard, the prices are the same plus or minus. Let's say a chilled broiler chicken carcass costs 239 rubles per kilo.

“Now, due to seasonality, chickens and eggs have even become a little cheaper,” says Galina Bobyleva, General Director of the Russian Poultry Union, Doctor of Economics, Honored Worker of Agriculture. - After all, in the summer, retail chains always reduce the price of these products.

Yes, but what happens in the fall when we start counting new chicks? What do farmers expect?

“Without special additives — vitamins, amino acids, enzymes, probiotics — you cannot grow a broiler,” says Dmitry Grachev, Chairman of the Russian Feed Union, Vice President of the Russian Grain Union, Candidate of Biological Sciences.

However, foreign supplier companies, according to him, did not leave Russia at all this year and did not impose sanctions against agricultural enterprises, except for one German company, which recently announced the closure of its feed division in Russia.

— Last year, Russia itself restricted the import of feed additives. Previously, we imported them from Germany, Austria, China, America. We did this, as I understand it, as part of import substitution,” says Grachev. “In my opinion, it was premature. There are companies in Russia that produce feed additives, but I think they will not be able to provide all the poultry farms. After all, almost no country can now fully provide itself with everything at once.

Nevertheless, even if foreign producers imposed sanctions, according to Grachev, the bird would not be left without food. — This year, a large harvest of grains and legumes is expected. Enough food. But prices may rise as it is more expensive to feed broilers and layers with nutritionally unbalanced diets, he says.

Director General of Rosptitsesoyuz Galina Bobyleva assesses the situation optimistically.

— Back in 2010, the Government of Russia set us the task of meeting the needs of the domestic market for poultry products through our own production. In 2014, we successfully solved this task for poultry meat, and our producers have always provided the domestic market with eggs. Indeed, there have been no direct sanctions against poultry farming yet. Yes, there are delays in deliveries, but this has happened before. Production now, like the market, is stable, she notes.

Of course, production at large factories is automated and there is a lot of imported equipment here: incubators from Germany, chicken thigh deboners from the Netherlands. What happens if it breaks and supplies stop?

“If it breaks, we will fix it or buy analogues from Russian manufacturers,” says Bobyleva. - The duty of domestic poultry farms is to prevent a decrease in production volumes, and we are coping with it.

By the way, in the first six months, compared to last year, we even observed an increase in poultry meat and eggs by 2%.