Russian chicken and pork prices rise as import limits tighten supply
Russian wholesale chicken and pork prices increased during 6–12 July as stronger demand met tighter supplies. Chicken fillet reached as much as 450 rubles per kilogram in some regions, while processors prepared to alter recipes and product ranges.
Demand lifts Russian wholesale prices
Russian wholesale chicken and pork prices rose during the 28th week of 2026, covering 6–12 July, as consumer demand for prepared meat products strengthened. Meat Expert, citing indicators from the National Union of Meat Processors, reported that higher retail sales encouraged price increases across most products in the wholesale supply chain.
Meat processors increased purchases in response. Prices rose for slaughter-weight live pigs, pork half-carcasses, cuts and other raw materials used in sausage production. The movement marked a change from January–June, when demand was weak and processors had access to cheaper raw material.
Chicken fillet reaches a record level
Wholesale chicken carcass prices continued to increase and reached 275 rubles per kilogram in some regions, according to Meat Expert. Prices for chicken cuts accelerated, while fillet reached a historical high of as much as 450 rubles per kilogram in individual transactions. The publication said this level was economically unacceptable for many processors.
Supply constraints contributed to the increase. Meat Expert linked part of the acceleration to a partial withdrawal from imports of chicken fillet from China. Only two certified suppliers were authorized to serve the Russian market, while domestic poultry farms were not ready to replace the missing volumes. The result was a tighter market for a product widely used by meat processors.
Companies were expected to review recipes during 13–19 July. Where production technology permitted, processors planned to replace chicken with pork; elsewhere, they could stop making unprofitable products. That shift may support demand for pork even as high chicken prices limit purchases of poultry raw material.
Global prices offer limited relief
The Russian increase followed a softer week on international markets. EMEAT reported that in the preceding week global prices fell by 0.6% for beef and that shipments of meat to foreign markets rose by 14% to 913,400 tonnes, worth $2.2 billion. The contrast indicates that domestic availability, import access and processing demand can outweigh broader international price movements for Russian buyers.
Additional pressure came from logistics. Meat Expert reported that Russian motor-fuel demand rose by one-third, causing local delivery disruptions for livestock and meat-processing businesses, especially in Siberia and the Far East. Cheap frozen stocks had also been exhausted. Importers therefore face an opportunity where certification permits, but the small number of approved Chinese suppliers limits immediate competition. Exporters and domestic producers may benefit from higher prices, while processors face narrower margins because retail competition restricts how much of the increase can be passed to consumers.
