The poultry industry in Ukraine is facing a difficult situation due to widespread power outages. Issues with electricity supply threaten the stability of poultry meat and egg production, as well as impact the economic indicators of the sector.
This is reported by Finway
Rising Production Costs and Technical Limitations
According to Serhiy Karpenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Poultry Farmers Association, enterprises are forced to use generators, which leads to a 15–20% increase in production costs. Electricity expenses in production account for 7 to 12%, and for certain types of products, this share can reach 30%. Constant blackouts negatively affect all stages of production—from incubation and rearing to slaughtering, cooling, and storage of meat and eggs.
The problem is particularly acute for feed mills. They cannot operate solely on diesel generators, as powerful equipment requires stable voltage for starting and continuous production processes according to the required rations.
“Powerful equipment in feed mills requires a certain voltage for its startup and operation, ensuring all related processes of feed production according to rations, which diesel generators simply cannot provide. The inability to produce feed threatens the inevitable loss of poultry stock,” emphasized Karpenko.
Impact on Production and Prices
Due to unstable electricity supply, producers are already forced to reduce their plans for poultry stocking. This will inevitably lead to a decrease in production volumes, a reduction in exports, and a decline in tax revenues. In the long term, this situation may cause further price increases for chicken and eggs, negatively affecting both consumers and the country’s food security.