Mandatory animal registration in Russia does not always progress successfully, but will normalize - Rosselkhoznadzor head

MOSCOW. April 17 (Interfax) - The mandatory animal registration process in the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance's (Rosselkhoznadzor) electronic system does not always progress successfully, but will eventually normalize, Rosselkhoznadzor head Sergei Dankvert said.

"In the electronic system, everything is visible today. Since September 1, 2024, it has become mandatory to register poultry, cattle and pigs in the system. Further movement of products is then recorded in the system. We can track what went where and from where," Dankvert said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel on Thursday. "We need this to predict the development of animal diseases, rabies for example. So we implemented what was necessary. The whole country is gradually adapting to this. Not always successfully. In some regions, the livestock numbers reported to Rosstat differed from actual figures. But I believe this [registration that will provide accurate data] will normalize," he said.

All imported products, including genetic material, are also entered into the system, he said. "Everything is under control. Many restaurants now serve wild game meat, for instance. But if data about it isn't entered in the electronic system, it's better not to consume it," he said.

The mandatory registration of animals in Rosselkhoznadzor's electronic system will continue to be implemented. Specifically, this procedure will become compulsory for camels, deer, commercially farmed rabbits, fur-bearing animals, and bees starting September 1, 2025; for fish and other aquaculture species as well as service animals from March 1, 2026; and for sheep and goats beginning September 1, 2026.