AI outbreaks in France have a big impact on the Russian turkey meat market

Russian turkey farmers warn of a slump in output in the first half of 2023 due to a shortage of hatching eggs, Anatoly Velmatov, executive director of the Russian national turkey producers’ association, told local news outlet, Rusng. Currently, the Russian turkey industry lacks between 500 and 700 million hatching eggs. The problem is primarily associated with a series of avian influenza outbreaks in France, which disrupted export supplies, including those to Russian customers. “A production slump can be [anticipated]. Our current shortage will reflect [on the production figures] of the first half of 2023. I believe [this will happen] closer to the second quarter,” Velmanov said, adding that a search for alternative suppliers remains problematic since the “epizootic situation doesn’t improve worldwide”. He estimated that the existing and planned hatching egg production in Russia would be sufficient to cover only 80% of the domestic demand. Currently, Russian poultry farmers are ...