Cherkizovo Group begins breeding turkey unique for Russian market

Cherkizovo Group, the largest meat and feed producer in Russia, announces the operational launch of a hatchery as part of the Tambov Turkey project, which will allow the Group to begin breeding turkey that is unique for the Russian market.

The Company has imported its first batch of 30,000 Grade Maker hatching eggs from France and has set them in the Tambov Turkey hatchery. Several thousand young turkeys belonging to a breed unique for the domestic poultry industry will hatch in February 2016. The first consignment of turkey meat will be delivered to retail outlets and HoReCa in autumn. Cherkizovo Group expects to produce up to 50,000 tons of turkey meat (live weight) by the end of 2016.

Turkeys from France, that have not been bred in Russia until now, are smaller and lighter than the turkeys Russian consumers are used to, with the average turkey weighing just 7-9kg, fitting easily into any oven. They are also much more convenient to pack and cook. In addition, Cherkizovo Group’s turkey will contain half the fat of other brands, making it the healthiest meat available on the market. The turkey products that will be delivered to stores will be branded in over four different types of packaging and will suit every culinary taste.

Tambov Turkey is an international turkey breeding project which was implemented by Cherkizovo Group in 2012 in partnership with Grupo Fuertes, Spain’s leading turkey producer. In autumn 2015, Cherkizovo Group launched operations of fattening and rearing facilities in the Tambov Region. Approximately RUB 7.3 bln has been invested in the project. By launching full-scale production, Cherkizovo Group will ensure that it is self-sufficient in meeting its turkey and newly hatched poultry requirements and will not need to use external suppliers.

Cherkizovo Group is one of the three largest poultry producers in Russia. It breeds over 200 mln broilers a year at its eight poultry production facilities located in the regions of Moscow, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Lipetsk, Penza and Tula. Over 455,000 tons of poultry meat were sold by Cherkizovo farms in 2015.