Deputies Accidentally Leaked a Document on Catastrophic Livestock Mortality in Agricultural Enterprises

Tens of Thousands of Cows and Millions of Birds

The full document is called "Information on the preservation of cattle and poultry in agricultural organizations of the region for the first half of 2026". 

According to internal statistics, only during the first six months of 2026 in Belarus, there was a mortality of 76.6 thousand heads of cattle. This is 2.4 thousand more than in the analogous period last year. In terms of technological losses, the worst situation is in the Gomel and Mogilev regions.

Павялічыць

The main focus in the leaked document is on the Vitebsk region. Most striking are the figures for domestic poultry. Despite the fact that no dangerous epidemics were registered this year, poultry mortality for the half-year amounted to 2 million 74.9 thousand heads (this is 92.3 thousand more than last year).

Павялічыць

The document shows a decrease in cattle mortality by 1.9 thousand heads; however, the losses still did not reach the target of 1.7%. However, the authors of the document pose an uncomfortable question: is this "miraculous healing" of the Vitebsk herd not connected with the fact that Lukashenka met the governor halfway, protected agricultural workers from strict control by the State Control Committee (KDK) bodies, and thus the real state of affairs began to be recorded less truthfully?

Павялічыць

Another scheme described in the document is the disposal of animals at meat processing plants, which accounts for 7.4% of the total mortality. The document discusses whether this is a legalized channel for hidden mortality, where instead of recording the death of a cow on the farm, animals in agony are urgently taken for processing to artificially lower mortality statistics.

Павялічыць

Threat of Milk and Beef Shortages

44% of all deceased animals are calves under 2 months of age. Their death is caused not by complex diseases, but by the lack of normal care, poor feeding, and non-compliance with vaccination schedules. As for adult cows (32% of the mortality), their main causes of death are unbalanced feeding during the dry period, silage-concentrate type of feeding, and the use of large quantities of concentrates.

The authors of the report write that the massive loss of young stock means organizations are destroying their future potential for replacing the dairy herd. "Without eliminating this problem, in the medium term, the region will face a severe shortage of milk and beef," the report states.

"Legalized" Mortality in Districts

In some districts, the situation is catastrophic. Technological losses significantly exceed the norm in Shumilino (3.5%), Verkhnyadzvinsk (2.9%), Haradok, and Talachyn (2.7% each) districts.

Павялічыць

Alyaksandr Lukashenka has repeatedly criticized officials for this problem. He called the winter mortality "moral ugliness": "Put calves in the office. They are dying due to mismanagement."

To rectify the situation, the document proposes "to move from paper control to real measures":

• to conduct sudden inspections of veterinary laboratories to stop the concealment of real diagnoses and distortion of statistics,
• to send mobile groups of experienced veterinarians and zootechnicians to problematic collective farms,
• to introduce strict adherence to technological regulations for calves and to check where budget funds allocated for veterinary drugs and supplements are actually going.

Finally, the document raises another acute question: how to ensure the recruitment of applicants for targeted training in the agricultural sector in 2027?

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