Patrick van Trijp, Cobb account manager for Russia and CIS nations, said: “For Cobb. it is extremely important to produce chicks here in Russia so that our customers are assured of a constant supply of top quality genetics. This is a clear indication of our belief in the potential of the Russian market.

“With their hatchery and grandparent flocks Akashevo has become a strong and reliable partner for Cobb. Together with our distributor Broiler Budushevo, Cobb is looking to provide 30 per cent of the total demand for parent stock in Russia.”

Yulia Pavlova, quality manager (left) and Irina Khamatshina, technical manager (right), both with Cobb Russia

Gary Fisher, Cobb director of hatcheries, added: “I am impressed by quality delivered from the Akashevo hatchery. Their people are highly motivated and have adopted the Cobb standards on bio-security and quality very quickly. I’m more than 100 per cent convinced that Akashevo will maintain our high standards of quality in their chicks.”

The first customer, Vasilievskaya in the Penza region, is very pleased with the quality.

Ruslan Nemov, chief technologist, and Maksim Korchev, manager of the breeder farm, commented: “The chicks were very lively and active, with almost no losses on arrival. This is the quality we’ve come to expect from Cobb during the last five years.”