After a total economic crisis accompanied by a collapse of a vertical governmental system for management of the unified production process, the volume of overall production in Ukraine tumbled. However, this was typical for Ukrainian agriculture as a whole. According to the figures provided by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine, in 1991-2006 the poultry population in all categories of farms decreased 1.5 times due to the unprofitability of the majority of goods caused by a great disparity of prices for production and material technical resources, absence of efficient mechanisms for financial and economic support as well as absence of efficient management of the whole agricultural branch in general and every organization in particular. As a result of this situation, production and consumption of animal husbandry products, including poultry meat, has decreased significantly. Note the fact that in 1990 consumption of meat and meat products (in meat equivalent) per capita was 68 kg/year and in 2005, according to the State Statistics Committee, an average Ukrainian consumed 39.1 kg of meat, out of which only 13.7 kg was poultry meat.

As a result of a set of measures aimed to stabilize and increase the total output of poultry production, investments and technological re-equipment in Ukraine, since late 1990s there has been a tendency toward a revival of poultry industry that in 2000 began to demonstrate positive growth dynamics. An increase of production volumes was facilitated by improved methods of selective breeding and genetic work, use of high-productive hybrids, modern animal housing and feeding technologies and better quality of veterinary services. There were created large companies and agricultural holdings that produce and process poultry meat involving Ukrainian and foreign investors.

Since 2000, the poultry husbandry has been demonstrating a constant 20% annual increase of production volumes that enabled all categories of farms to increase the volumes of meat production from 263, 000 t (live weight) in 2000 to 755, 000 t (estimated) in 2006, including industrial production of poultry meat (agricultural enterprises – about 487, 000 t of live weight). As a result of these developments, Ukrainian agriculture today takes one of the leading places among other branches of Ukrainian animal husbandry in terms of provision of relatively cheap and biologically valuable food products. At the same time, the share of poultry meat in the overall structure of meat production increased from 16% in 1990 to 30-35 % in 2006 (estimated), which is arguably explained not only by the increased volumes of meat production but also by a crisis in the cattle breeding sector.

However, whereas production of chicken meat today can be said to have reached its peak nearly reaching the 1990 indicators, the segment of turkey and water fowl has been one of the most acute problems in Ukrainian poultry industry over the last 15 years. After a collapse of the Soviet Union, development of Ukrainian market of turkey meat was descending thus reflecting the crisis inherent to the whole poultry sector observed over the period in question. If in 1989-1990, agricultural enterprises of all forms of ownership produced about 10, 000 t of turkey meat, by 2000 this indicator dropped to only 20 t.

Over the last 2-3 years, Ukraine has been transferring from extensive season-dependent to progressive whole-year industrial production of turkey meat with profitability of 60% and more. Still, although the industrial production indicator exceeded the 2000 threshold (20 t), the share of turkey meat in total production of poultry meat (by agricultural enterprises) is still very low – in 2006, the share of poultry meat produced by hatcheries is estimated at the level of 1.0-1.5%. According to these evaluations, in 2006 the amount of produced turkey meat may achieve 8, 000–10, 000 t (not including small agricultural farms) that will be a result of a gradual growth of living standards of pour population and increased demand for diet turkey meat as well as introduction of new capacities at poultry plants socializing in breeding turkeys for meat. Taking into consideration the ambitious plans of leading operators on the turkey meat market one can expect that by the end of 2007 the volumes of industrial turkey meat production will achieve 16, 000–20, 000 t.

We see that manufacturing products from turkey meat is still limited in Ukraine and fails to follow the main trends of turkey meat sales in other countries. In the majority of states with developed poultry industry, the share of turkey meat is constantly growing for it is one of the most promising areas of poultry breeding. For instance, in the EU member states this share is 8-20% of the total poultry meat production. According to the expert assessments, in order to achieve at least a European level of turkey meat consumption by 2010-2011 Ukraine has to produce 1.0-2.0 million t (live weight) of poultry meat, including 100, 000 t of turkey meat.

In general, analyzing situation of poultry industry one can say that the highest rate of development was observed in the broiler stock segment. Still, the complete revival of turkey breeding is still far away. The problem of preserving the current pace of development of poultry industry and turkey breeding in particular is a part of a general problem of providing population with animal husbandry products produced domestically as a basis for a stable food supply in Ukraine.

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