Millions of chickens were killed: Russia destroys Europe's largest poultry farm, Chornobaivka

The Russians destroyed and looted the Chornobaivka poultry farm, which was a key production facility for the Kherson region, "24 TV" reports. In addition, 4.4 million birds died as a result of the occupiers' actions, which led law enforcement agencies to classify the situation in the region as ecocide.

In early March 2022, the Russians occupied part of the Kherson region, including the Chornobaivka poultry farm. The region, and therefore the production, was left without electricity, without the ability to feed the birds, transport workers to their workplaces, and export products that had been made. About 4.4 million chickens died of thirst and hunger.

Despite the shelling at the beginning of the Russian offensive, the workers managed to distribute some of the products and chickens to the local population, but most of the birds died because feeding them got impossible.

Important! The death of such a large number of poultry without the possibility of disposal is an extraordinary event, it's an environmental disaster. This issue has become so critical that it was raised separately at a meeting of the UN General Assembly. Prosecutors of the Kherson Regional Prosecutor's Office are currently conducting procedural guidance in the criminal proceedings on the fact of mass destruction of wildlife, which can cause an environmental disaster (Article 441 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — ecocide). The Russians must be brought to justice.

This is why egg prices have risen so much: the economic consequences are also fatal

The total financial losses of the agricultural holding as a result of Russian aggression are currently estimated at around UAH 12 billion or USD 330 million.

This includes losses from the death of the birds, which amounted to about UAH 0.7 billion ($20 million). The lost income from the eggs not laid by the birds amounted to about 5.8 billion hryvnias, or $160 million. The Russian military has also damaged or stolen equipment worth about 5.5 billion hryvnias ($150 million). 

After the occupation, the factory, which had played a crucial role in the economic life of the Kherson region before the start of the large-scale aggression, was looted by the Russian occupiers. Everything valuable was taken away, and everything that could not be taken away was damaged or destroyed, — said the agricultural holding.

In addition, the virtual destruction of the industry's key production facility led to a shortage of chicken eggs in Ukraine. The supply on the market decreased significantly and prices skyrocketed.

The Chornobaivka poultry farm was one of the largest and most modern facilities in Europe. The agricultural holding noted that the loss the enterprise is a loss not only for the producer, but also for millions of consumers in Ukraine, as the supply of chicken eggs as one of the most affordable and high-quality food products has significantly decreased.