The Duma adopted in the first reading a bill on requirements for imported breeding material

Currently, there are no requirements in the legislation for the use of semen and embryos of breeding animals if they are obtained from breeding animals registered abroad, the explanatory note says. "Despite the significant achievements of recent years in breeding, the complete rejection of foreign genetics can lead to serious consequences, both for the further development of the industry and for animal husbandry in general. For example, the share of the use of imported breeding material in poultry farming in the form of today remains very high and amounts to more than 90%," the authors of the document state.

According to the draft law, the relevant authority determines the form and procedure for issuing an import permit, the procedure for confirming the breeding value of farm animals imported into the Russian Federation, their semen and embryos, as well as the procedure for conducting a molecular genetic examination of breeding products, carried out by accredited legal entities, individual entrepreneurs, at the expense of the person who applied for an import permit. Based on the results of this examination, access to the use and sale of imported semen and embryos of breeding animals will be established. The use of semen and embryos of breeding animals for their breeding is provided only in the presence of an identification number, breeding certificates or on the basis of an import permit in the presence of the results of a molecular genetic examination.

“According to expert data, the cost of genetic analysis of one HEAD of a breeding animal is currently about 4 thousand rubles. In 2021, about 5 million doses of semen from 120 breeding bulls were imported into the Russian Federation. semen in the amount of 1.5 million doses from 60 breeding bulls, when conducting a genetic examination in our country will amount to about 240 thousand rubles.Given that the purchase of imported semen of breeding bulls is about $1.5 sales in the Russian Federation are carried out at a price of $6-8, the estimated additional costs for market participants will not be a significant financial burden and should not affect the final price of breeding products," the explanatory note says.