OREANDA-NEWS. November 18, 2014. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) completed unscheduled inspections of the largest Russian poultry producers. The grounds for the inspections were a considerable number of petitions about increased wholesale and retail prices for the products after special economic measures had been introduced.

FAS inspected “Russian Poultry Union” Non-Profit Organization (Moscow), “Poultry Managing Company, Cherkizovo Group” Ltd. (Moscow), “PRIOSKOLIE” CJSC (the Belgorod region), “PRIOSKOLIE” Trading House” CJSC (the Belgorod region), “Belgrankorm-Holding” Ltd. (the Belgorod region), “Severnaya” Poultry Plant” CJSC (the Leningrad region). The purpose of the inspections was compliance with Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” (prohibiting competition - restricting agreements between economic entities)”.

According to inspected economic entities, the main reasons for growing prices on the poultry market are:

- Reduced supply of some types of agricultural products as a result of introduced restrictions due to special economic measures as well as adverse epizootic situation in the exporting countries

- Increased interest rate on investment loans against decreased subsidizing

- Increased prices for grain and кfeed staff

- Seasonal reduction of agricultural products output

- The ruble’s decline against the dollar and the euro that increased the costs of acquiring import components of production (vitamins, specialized machinery and equipment, packaging, etc.).

Having analyzed the materials obtained as a result of the inspections, the Antimonopoly Service did not exposed facts and circumstances indicating elements of violating Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”.

“At the same time, the situation on the poultry market remains under thorough control by the antimonopoly bodies. Thus, FAS plans to analyze the state of the competitive environment on the market”, pointed out the Head of FAS Department for Control over Chemical Industry and Agro-Industrial Complex, Anna Mirochinenko.