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Over 10,000 beef cows delivered to Kaliningrad from Kansas

Import of the Aberdeen-Angus breeding cows is made by Kaliningrad Meat Company within the framework of the new regional program for the development of beef cattle breeding

KALININGRAD, December 10 (Itar-Tass) — The special vessel Jetta with a herd of cows has arrived at the port of Baltiysk near Kaliningrad. It has delivered from the United States (Kansas state) to the Russian westernmost region a herd of breeding beef cows.

The press service of the government of the Kaliningrad Region told Itar-Tass that “over 10 thousand heifers, more than 240 bulls and 36 horses arrived from the United States from a quarantine base in Kansas.”

The press service explained that the import of the Aberdeen-Angus breeding cows, which belong to one of the best in the world beef breeds is made by Kaliningrad Meat Company within the framework of the new regional program for the development of beef cattle breeding. “Beef production in the Kaliningrad Region has traditionally been based mainly on the use of feeder livestock from the dairy and dairy-beef breeds as an ancillary sub-sector in the production of milk,” the government said.

In March, the regional Cabinet approved the target program aimed at the “Development of Beef Cattle Breeding in the Kaliningrad Region in 2012-2014.” Its strategic goal is the creation in the region “of the starting technological and economic conditions for the formation and sustainable development of the specialised beef cattle breeding.” The arrival at Kaliningrad fishery seaport in September of the first batch of 1,750 Aberdeen Angus cows from the United States that will soon give birth to calves, marked the beginning of the program implementation.

The cows delivered on the Jetta ship from Kansas, the same as their “predecessors,” will be placed at farms in the Ozersk district. They will form the basis of the breeding herd. “The local farmers have thoroughly prepared for the arrival of the overseas cows,” the press service said. “Farms have been built, fodders have been prepared, pastures equipped, the necessary machinery and special equipment purchase and the personnel selected and trained.”

The regional Ministry of Agriculture told Itar-Tass that the Kaliningrad residents will be able to taste the first local high-quality, environmentally clean beef, given the minimum required period of cattle fattening, in three years. The Kaliningrad Region over the same period will produce its own breeding stock of Aberdeen-Angus cattle that will be sold to other regions of Russia.

This economically important project for the region was started by Kaliningrad Region governor Nikolai Tsukanov and President of Miratorg Viktor Linnik. In spring 2012, they for the first time discussed the possibilities and ways of implementing in the Kaliningrad Region the project that will eventually restore livestock breeding on these lands, will give Russian consumers high-quality meat products, and in the future – will make it possible to begin beef exports to foreign markets.

Kaliningrad Meat Company - a division of the agricultural holding Miratorg – has received more than 200 million roubles from the regional budget for the project implementation.