The State Duma can limit the number of cattle on smallholdings

As stated in the text of the bill, the requirements about the maximum number of animals of each species at smallholdings would have to be determined taking into account the "sanitary and veterinary rules and norms." "The need for the proposed changes is justified by the fact that on some private farms... the number of farm animals exceeds the national average hundreds of times", reads the explanatory note to the bill. In addition Kashin is concerned that sometimes the cattle and birds are kept on private land within the boundaries of the settlement and in areas not adapted to their housing. "Such farms become a source of acute infectious diseases of animals and also violate the constitutional rights of the citizens living in the neighborhood for healthy environment", — stated in the explanatory note.

In addition to sanitary and epidemiological risks, the lack of constraints also creates conditions for unfair competition with other farmers, said the head of the Duma Agrarian Committee. In particular, income received by the smallholders is now fully free from taxes.

At the end of last week, the issue of limiting the number of farm animals on smallholdings was also raised in the legislative Assembly of Rostov region. In particular, it was stated that out of 560 thousand smallholders in the region about 30% raise animals for sale. However, they do not pay taxes and are not controlled by the state. In this regard, the regional Parliament has proposed to introduce a rule of obligatory re-registration of smallholders into entrepreneurial economic activities in case of exceeding of established standards, and also to strengthen the responsibility for violations of the requirements on smallholdings.

The Ministry of agriculture is waiting for the disappearance of smallholders

Smallholdings in Russia will cease to exist in 15-20 years, said at a meeting in Stavropol region, the Director of the Department of animal husbandry Kharon Amerkhanov. According to him, in future, 60% of agricultural production in the country will be carried out at the agricultural enterprises and organized farms, the remaining 40% — on private farms (KFH). "The trouble is that smallholders reduce the number of cattle involved in the production of milk. This is a blow to Stavropol region and to Russia as a whole. And it is right, because in Europe it is impossible that someone kept a cow in the private sector, especially slaughtered an animal without notifying the veterinary service", — quotes Eurasia Daily the words of Amerkhanov.

Meanwhile, according to preliminary results of agricultural census 2016, over the last ten years, the number of smallholders in rural areas of the country increased: if in 2006 there were 14.8 million, last year there were already 15 million. Only in urban districts and urban settlements official statistics recorded the reduction of private farms from 8 million to 3.2 million in 2016.

The average land area of one smallholding last year was 0.8 ha in rural areas (in 2006 — 0.6 ha) and 0.3 ha in urban districts (in 2006-m — 0.1 ha). For comparison, the average area of land on private farms in 2016 reached 268,9 ha, at individual entrepreneurs — 140 hectares, at agricultural enterprises — more than 6 thousand hectares.

According to Rosstat, last year smallholdings of population produced agricultural products for more than 1.9 trillion rubles or 34.7% of the total volume in the country. Contribution of crop sector has reached 1 trillion rubles, of livestock sector — more than 0.9 trillion rubles. In general, compared to 2015, production decreased by 1.5%.

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