World meat industry news

On the eve of the new year, the leaders of industry associations shared their views with Veterinary and Life on how the production of livestock products, feed and veterinary drugs will develop in 2023, what will happen to the export and import of goods, and what legislative changes will affect the work of key industries agro-industrial complex.

Today we present the forecast for beef production from the head of the National Meat Association.

Sergey Yushin, head of the National Meat Association

– What awaits the industry in 2023?

Beef production in Russia depends on dairy cattle breeding, and there are two main trends affecting it in the industry.

The first is the rapid growth of the beef cattle sub-sector.

The second is a decrease in the number of dairy herds in personal subsidiary farms (LPS) and agricultural organizations. And about 80% of beef in Russia is obtained from the dairy herd.

As for beef cattle breeding, we expect a further increase in livestock and production in the next 2 years. The growth of livestock in peasant farms (PFH) will continue. KFH is the basis of beef production. Over the past 12 years in Russia, the number of cattle in peasant farms has doubled (this also applies to the dairy herd). Of the 18 million heads of cattle, 3 million are in peasant farms. In 2010, there were 1.5 million. No other sector has shown such dynamics.

The decrease in livestock in household plots will continue. In 2010, these farms had more than 9 million heads of cattle, and in 2022 there were already a little more than 6.5 million heads (dairy and beef herd).

At the same time, beef consumption is falling, which is associated with affordable prices for pork and poultry meat. According to Rosstat, beef consumption is more than 14 kg per person per year, while the global figure is 9 kg per person.

– How will production, exports/imports change compared to 2022?

Beef production will be at the level of previous years. By the way, Russia is one of the few countries where beef production has increased every year until this year. The average weight of cattle for slaughter is growing, which, with a decrease in the number of livestock and an increase in the share of beef cattle, will allow production to remain at the same level.

Import next year, taking into account plans for incentives for the supply of imported beef, will be at the level of 2022.

As for exports, we started the year very well and expected it to grow by 30%. But, unfortunately, the growing competition on the world market and the extremely strong ruble make exports less attractive. Although in general the need for beef in the world is growing.

– What new projects, legislative changes are expected in the industry?

We look forward to the entry into force of the requirements for mandatory marking of livestock. We will get an exact figure of how many cattle there really are in Russia. After all, according to Rosstat, 43% of cattle is in the possession of the population, and the reporting of household plots on the presence of livestock is now optional.

I hope that after the introduction of animal labeling, we will continue to work to improve the epizootic situation in the country. It will be easier for veterinarians to track the movement of livestock and, accordingly, stop certain risks associated with animal diseases.

- What do you expect from the year of the Water Rabbit and what wishes do you address to relatives and colleagues?

In the coming year, I wish everyone to analyze current events as best as possible and predict the future, try to adapt to the conditions that will inevitably arise. It is commonly believed that Charles Darwin derived the formula that the fittest survives, but this is not so. In fact, his words sound like this: “It is not the one who is the strongest who survives, and not the one who is the smartest, but the one who adapts better than others to a changing environment.” I wish and recommend everyone to live by this formula.