Tough economic times in Russia have had a direct impact on meat consumption, said that country’s head of the national meat association.
There are 142 million people in Russia where nearly seven million tonnes of meat are produced annually. Pork and chicken are the most popular, said Sergey Yushin at the recent Canada Beef Export Federation annual meeting in Calgary.
In 1990, average Russian meat consumption was 80 kilograms per capita with about one-third being beef. Ten years later, consumption was halved but it has since recovered to 65 kg per person with pork and poultry the most popular meats. Beef production is around 1.7 million tonnes per year.
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There is limited investment in the beef industry in a country where backyard farm production of chickens and pigs is common. People might keep two or three dairy cows that may get slaughtered for food, Yushin said.
“Most of the Russian population has no idea what real beef is,” he said.
There is potential for Canada to enter this market with better quality beef destined for the hospitality trade.
Yushin estimated Canada could export about 20,000 tonnes to Russia.
It has an open beef import quota of 530,000 tonnes as well as a 15 percent tariff.
South America and Australia are selling about 1.5 million tonnes of mainly processing beef to Russia.
