St. Petersburg is the Veterinary Capital of Russia

On February 28, at the EXPOFORUM, the opening ceremony of the 5th International Exhibition of Goods and Services for Pets Zooindustria-2024 and the Northwestern Veterinary Congress took place.

The first speaker at the ceremony was Oleg Ergashev, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg.

“The Government of St. Petersburg pays great attention to the development of veterinary infrastructure, actively involving representatives of the public, academic community and charitable foundations in the discussion. For improving interaction of these groups, the government is now working on the establishment of the expert council on veterinary issues, which will include representatives of the public and charitable foundations, as well as scientists,” said Ergashev.

The Vice-Governor noted that every year, the Exhibition gets bigger and more popular. Over 80 % of all products exhibited are produced in Russia. These are feeds, veterinary drugs, and equipment. The Northwestern Veterinary Congress takes place along with the Exhibition. According to Ergashev, St. Petersburg is turning into the veterinary capital of Russia.

“The country’s first veterinary service was organized here in 1863, as was the first animal shelter. Now St. Petersburg residents keep over a million cats and more than 300 thousand dogs. We are the first region to adopt the declaration of moral attitude towards animals,” noted Ergashev.

Elena Zheltukhina, Vice President of St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI of St. Petersburg), called the Exhibition the main business event in the industry. She stressed that 2023 was not an easy year for the industry, because of the sharp increase in prices for feeds and veterinary drugs. But this also led to new growth opportunities and tempered the industry. Russian manufacturers have increased feed production by 3 times, and many producers have entered international markets.

Lyubov Osipova, the supervisor of the Northwestern Veterinary Congress, said that the project has boosted in scale and has been supplemented with therapeutic area. In previous years, it had only gathered veterinary surgeons. Osipova noted that interest in veterinary medicine constantly grows, and students choose this profession to master more often.

At the end, Sergey Voronkov, CEO of the EXPOFORUM International, made a speech.

“St. Petersburg is turning into a zoo-capital, and the EXPOFORUM has long become a zooforum. We have the largest number of zoo thematic events in the country – at least 6 per year. Tens of thousands of animals participate in the projects City of Dogs, World of Cats, ZooShow, Hipposphere, to be visited by over 250 thousand Petersburgers and the city’s guests.

The Zooindustria has an enormous educational and sociocultural significance. Every second family in Russia has a pet. But it is also a huge market with its amount of 433 billion rubles, and one of the fastest growing industries – up to 31 % per year”, said Sergey Voronkov.

The Exhibition Zooindustria-2024 and the Northwestern Veterinary Congress take place at the EXPOFORUM from February 28 to March 1. 180 companies from 4 countries take part in it. The business program includes 27 events. Over 6,000 guests will visit the venue in 3 days.

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St. Petersburg is the Veterinary Capital of Russia

On February 28, at the EXPOFORUM, the opening ceremony of the 5th International Exhibition of Goods and Services for Pets Zooindustria-2024 and the Northwestern Veterinary Congress took place.

The first speaker at the ceremony was Oleg Ergashev, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg.

“The Government of St. Petersburg pays great attention to the development of veterinary infrastructure, actively involving representatives of the public, academic community and charitable foundations in the discussion. For improving interaction of these groups, the government is now working on the establishment of the expert council on veterinary issues, which will include representatives of the public and charitable foundations, as well as scientists,” said Ergashev.

The Vice-Governor noted that every year, the Exhibition gets bigger and more popular. Over 80 % of all products exhibited are produced in Russia. These are feeds, veterinary drugs, and equipment. The Northwestern Veterinary Congress takes place along with the Exhibition. According to Ergashev, St. Petersburg is turning into the veterinary capital of Russia.

“The country’s first veterinary service was organized here in 1863, as was the first animal shelter. Now St. Petersburg residents keep over a million cats and more than 300 thousand dogs. We are the first region to adopt the declaration of moral attitude towards animals,” noted Ergashev.

Elena Zheltukhina, Vice President of St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI of St. Petersburg), called the Exhibition the main business event in the industry. She stressed that 2023 was not an easy year for the industry, because of the sharp increase in prices for feeds and veterinary drugs. But this also led to new growth opportunities and tempered the industry. Russian manufacturers have increased feed production by 3 times, and many producers have entered international markets.

Lyubov Osipova, the supervisor of the Northwestern Veterinary Congress, said that the project has boosted in scale and has been supplemented with therapeutic area. In previous years, it had only gathered veterinary surgeons. Osipova noted that interest in veterinary medicine constantly grows, and students choose this profession to master more often.

At the end, Sergey Voronkov, CEO of the EXPOFORUM International, made a speech.

“St. Petersburg is turning into a zoo-capital, and the EXPOFORUM has long become a zooforum. We have the largest number of zoo thematic events in the country – at least 6 per year. Tens of thousands of animals participate in the projects City of Dogs, World of Cats, ZooShow, Hipposphere, to be visited by over 250 thousand Petersburgers and the city’s guests.

The Zooindustria has an enormous educational and sociocultural significance. Every second family in Russia has a pet. But it is also a huge market with its amount of 433 billion rubles, and one of the fastest growing industries – up to 31 % per year”, said Sergey Voronkov.

The Exhibition Zooindustria-2024 and the Northwestern Veterinary Congress take place at the EXPOFORUM from February 28 to March 1. 180 companies from 4 countries take part in it. The business program includes 27 events. Over 6,000 guests will visit the venue in 3 days.

More