Russian End Users Learn More about U.S. Soy at International Pig Farming Conference in Moscow

The U.S. Soy industry is continuing its efforts to continue strengthen relationships with Russian swine industry leaders and professional organizations.
USSEC consultants Dr. Iani Chihaia – Southeast Europe and Dr. Maria Domoroshchenkova – Russian Federation attended the Third International Pig Farming Conference organized in Moscow by the International Industrial Academy (IIA), National Union of Swine Breeders in conjunction with leading commercial swine integrations, research institutes and industry suppliers from December 4 to 6, 2018. More than 200 delegates from 24 regions of Russia and 11 foreign countries participated in the conference. The organizers dedicated the central topics of the conference agenda to the continuous developments and improvements of the swine genetics, technology and nutrition. A special focus was given to impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) on global meat production and trade and why swine and feed industries have to follow the recent animal disease outbreaks.
Today, Russia is the world’s fifth largest pork producer. The Russian swine industry is on its way to double by 2019 from 2007 levels and to produce 4.4 million metric tons (MT) of pork in slaughter weight in 2022, despite the fact that the country has almost reached self-sufficiency in pork meat. The current target of the Russian swine industry is to satisfy the demand of the local market and to increase the export of pork meat.
Dr. Chihaia delivered the presentation “It’s Time to Do More with Less: Squeezing More out of Conventional, Alternative and Novel Protein Ingredients for Sustainable Swine Nutrition” to more than 200 conference participants. Dr. Chihaia continued with the role of nutritionist in providing sustainable and economically feasible nutrition for modern swine genetics, in the context of alternative protein ingredients used in efficient pig feeding. Available as another possibility or choice, the sunflower, rapeseed and lupine, involves both advantages and challenges when nutritionists are trying to use them as soy alternative vegetal proteins ingredients. Without a proper understanding of the alternative ingredients’ nutritional profile, variability, and application in swine feeding programs, the apparently cheap alternative protein ingredients could generate animal health problems, nutritional misbalances, and economic inefficiency and losses. Information provided through presentations emphasized both nutritional and anti-nutritional components from vegetal protein raw materials, how to properly substitute protein ingredients and correct application for different swine classes. This helped to clearly position U.S. Soy’s nutritional advantages during the presentation.
“Under the current soy local market, nutrition should be used as an almost exact science to constantly reduce the amount of feed needed for production. Peripheral location, soy stocks shortages and affordable prices for alternative ingredients are just a short list of factors influencing the composition of the swine feeds. Wise use of locally alternative proteins should be part of the solution in efficiently feeding pigs. Understanding of the nutritional and anti-nutritional aspects of the alternative feed ingredients is key in proper application and achievements of economical results,” said Dr. Chihaia. “Based on local raw materials and price list, we have simulated several feed formulation scenarios and the results demonstrate that soy cannot be totally replaced from swine formulas. And in many cases, cost increases are associated with the inclusion of alternative protein ingredients, substituting soy. Clearly, soy remains the golden standard for amino acids and U.S. Soy is the best option,” he concluded.

USSEC consultants Dr. Iani Chihaia (Southeast Europe) and Dr. Maria Domoroshchenkova (Russian Federation) delivered the presentation “It’s Time to Do More with Less: Squeezing More out of Conventional, Alternative and Novel Protein Ingredients for Sustainable Swine Nutrition” to more than 200 conference participants.

Alternative protein sources involve extra efforts and careful evaluation before being used in swine feeding. Different feed formulation scenarios concluded that alternative protein ingredients should be a temporary or partial solution in replacing soy from swine diets. Very often, the substitution of soy brings feed costs increases, which are transferred to total pork meat production costs. Under current commercial conditions, the soy shortage in the Russian market generated price increases and in spite of nutritionists’ efforts to keep the feed prices low, the competitiveness of pork meat production has been impacted. Improving access to U.S. Soy for Russian end users should be part of the solution in supplying the growing Russian feed and swine industries with quality protein ingredients and securing the industry’s competitiveness.

Industry delegates listened with interest to the pros and cons review introduced by Dr. Chihaia on alternative ingredients use in swine diets.

Participants appreciated the well-documented and informative USSEC presentation and technical discussions took place afterwards, focused on fine-tuning feed formulation techniques for alternative protein ingredient substitution in swine diets.
During the conference days, the USSEC consultants had the opportunity to interact with delegates from large Russian swine companies, western technology suppliers, and professional associations. Fruitful discussions and networking offered a chance to understand the current swine industry status in the Russian Federation, progress gained over past years, and challenges faced by the swine commercial integrators of the Russian Federation. The conference was an excellent opportunity to increase the awareness of U.S. Soy quality attributes and competitiveness in the context of ongoing changes in the international commodities market.
During 2019, several start-ups and the construction of new soy crushing plants were announced in Russia. Two main factors drive the development of soy processing facilities: transportation costs and the shortage of soybeans for the fast growing Russian poultry and livestock industries. This shows the interest of the feed and livestock companies in diminishing soybean meal costs and dependency on dominant supply.

. Dr. Yuri Kovalev (General Director of Russian National Union of Swine Breeders) and Dr. Chihaia
International Industrial Academy hosts feed and livestock industry events providing excellent opportunities for professional networking every year
Attendees from 11 different countries and over 20 international companies participated in the conference with speakers and presentations booths, including U.S. companies Cargill, Zoetis, DuPont, Alltech and USSEC
Technical literature in print is still preferred by Russian swine industry specialists. Soy and soy derivatives products occupied a central place at the booths and publications.