July 23, 2025

 

Report: Russian layer farms in "crisis"  

 

 

Mass destruction of laying hens in Russia has begun due to falling egg prices, which dropped to ₽2 (US$0.02) in June, while the cost price is ₽4 (US$0.05)-₽5 (US$0.06).

 

Due to losses, asset seizures, and lack of feed, enterprises are getting rid of livestock – 150 thousand chickens died at just one factory.

 

In Udmurtia, unknown individuals threw about 3,000 laying hens onto the street, where they died, including from hunger.

 

And at a poultry farm in Novomyshastivka (Krasnodar region), about 150,000 chickens were left without food, causing the birds to start eating each other. The reason was the seizure of the company's property due to debts to the feed mill – the factory was put up for sale with an initial price of ₽280 million (US$3.58 million).

 

According to the "People's Farmer" Association, a decrease in profitability has been observed since spring, prices started to fall rapidly even before Easter, but the biggest drop occurred at the end of May – beginning of June. In June, the price of first-grade eggs fell to ₽2 (US$0.02), while the production cost is ₽4(US$0.05)-₽5 (US$0.06). Even with a slight increase to ₽3.5 (US$0.04), most enterprises continue to operate at a loss.

 

"Farms have been operating at a loss for several months, feed stocks are running out, and the situation is really critical," says Ksenia Sumkova, a representative of the "People's Farmer" in Chuvashia.

 

Overproduction worsened the situation in the first half of 2025 as the country produced 16.5 billion eggs, which is 6.1% more than in the same period of 2024.

 

The Director of the Russian Poultry Union, Halyna Bobylova, explained that the situation could have been stabilised through long-term contracts with fixed prices, but such agreements are mainly concluded with large producers. The Ministry of Agriculture acknowledged that overproduction and price collapse had created an imbalance, but emphasised the importance of maintaining a fair price for both consumers and producers.

 

At the same time, farmers expect the situation to stabilise no earlier than autumn. However, the mass destruction of chickens already demonstrates the depth of the crisis that has engulfed the Russian poultry industry.

 

-      AgroNews