Why are the owners of Miratorg Viktor and Alexander Linnik bad manners to bring jamon to Russia. The owner of Miratorg sent the Russians to hell Cooperation with Latin America

vertically integrated agro-industrial holding, the largest pork producer. Shareholders: Viktor and Alexander Linnik (50% each). Financial indicators (IFRS, 2012): Revenue - 48.1 billion rubles, Net profit - 11.2 billion rubles.

Two large investment projects of Miratorg - poultry farming and cattle breeding - are not included in the business of the group: formally they belong to the owners of Miratorg, brothers Viktor and Alexander Linnik. “These projects are structured as a parallel business of shareholders, not directly related to the financial flows, assets and liabilities of the Miratorg ABH group,” the bank’s presentation says. Zenith”(he, together with Gazprombank and Sberbank, is the organizer of the issue of three series of the company's exchange-traded bonds for a total of 13 billion rubles). Miratorg Vice President for Finance Vadim Kotenko confirmed this information. These projects, he explained, are not consolidated into the company's IFRS perimeter, so as not to burden the group responsible for obligations to investors with additional debt. At Miratorg itself, according to Kotenko, there are no significant guarantees and pledges for cattle and poultry breeding projects. These projects are in the investment stage and do not yet generate revenue, but at the same time they have a debt burden secured by the pledges of the projects themselves, Kotenko explained.

Miratorg is one of the largest vertically integrated agricultural holdings in the country. It combines the production of grain, feed, pork, its own processing, the production of semi-finished products, storage facilities and distribution. Miratorg is the largest pork producer in Russia: the company has 23 pig complexes with a total design capacity of 340,000 tons in live weight per year. According to the company's own estimates, it accounts for about 30% of industrial pork production.

Until now, it was believed that both beef and poultry meat were also going to be produced by Miratorg. It was not known that these businesses were not part of the group. The beef production project is the largest in the country: it is assumed that only the mother herd will number 112,000 head, 33 farms will be built in the Bryansk region. As Viktor Linnik, the president and co-owner of Miratorg, said last year in an interview with Vedomosti, investments in this project should amount to 24 billion rubles. and mainly bank loans (VEB and Gazprombank). Investments in the poultry project (it is also planned in Bryansk) should amount to 22 billion rubles, according to the Zenith report.

The debt burden of Miratorg itself, excluding two projects under construction, at the end of 2012 amounted to 58.5 billion rubles. The group's revenue for the past year amounted to 48.1 billion rubles, EBITDA - 15.2 billion rubles. (i.e. the debt was 1.2 of the company's revenue and 3.7 of EBITDA). Almost 60% of Miratorg's debt, according to Kotenko, is long-term and subsidized loans.

When these projects reach design capacity and start producing beef and poultry, they can be included in the group, Kotenko says. According to Miratorg's plans, the poultry project should reach its design capacity in 2015, and beef production in 2017.

Miratorg's debt-to-EBITDA ratio is high, but agricultural enterprises can afford a higher debt burden than producers from other sectors by subsidizing interest rates on investment loans, says VTB Capital analyst Mikhail Galkin. The producer receives subsidies from the moment the loan is issued: beef producers receive a 100% refinancing rate from the federal budget, and poultry producers receive an 80% rate (they can receive another 20% from regional budgets). Miratorg shareholders' projects receive subsidies, says Miratorg ABH General Director Alexander Nikitin.

Is Miratorg a family business of Prime Minister Medvedev and his wife?

Let's try to figure out whether they, Medvedev's wife and the owners of Miratorg, are relatives. The Linnikov brothers, owners of Miratorg, and Medvedev's wife have the same last name. They are all linens.

We have few facts. Surnames only. And what:

Report of the Center for Agro-Food Policy of the RANEPA: "In 2016, Miratorg BMK LLC received 90.7% of all subsidized loans for beef cattle breeding - 33.6 billion rubles."

At the same time, Miratorg is 100% owned by two Cypriot offshore companies: LLC SAUDADE ENTERPRISES LIMITED and LLC Agromir

Medvedev has already said, and Medvedev is a person similar to the Prime Minister of Russia, that his wife and Linniks are not relatives

The question arises, why does Miratorg receive almost all the money earmarked for beef cattle breeding? There is some reason that 90 percent of the money goes to Linniks.

Well, let's take it for granted that Linnig is she, and Linnik is they, there are completely strangers

But why does the money go to them?

Personally, my point of view is that the Linniks are relatives and Medvedev has his own gesheft there.

I emphasize that this is my personal opinion and not an accusation in any way. I think so. This is how I see what is happening. Based on the facts that I have.

Here's another point:

199 backbone companies in Russia, bringing 70% of the gross national income, are offshore. Those. they don't pay taxes in Russia. They don't pay at all. Among them is Miratorg. Remember, merchants have no homeland!

If I remember correctly, Putin, a man similar to the president of Russia, called for the withdrawal of offices from offshore companies. Brought out? Why don't the oligarchs and billionaires listen to the president?

Maybe due to the fact that he is not in authority for them? Most likely so. Why do I write "similar to ..."

Linnik is a family business? If, after all, she is their sister, then it turns out that this family uses the Russian budget for personal enrichment

And in general, if you look at the Medvedev department, then:

Lovers of the free market and equal opportunities Prime Minister Trutnev 540 million rubles in the city of Manturov Minister of Trade 450 million rubles in the city of Patrushev Minister of Agriculture 183 million rubles a year

Family is accomplices.

Whether Medvedev's wife is the sister of the Linnik brothers, perhaps no one will ever know. But the fact that the owners of Miratorg benefit from the surname is for sure.

Ivan Koryagin
When copying an article, please indicate authorship and give a link to the Zen channel "Money policy." The material uses materials that are in the public domain and expresses the opinion of the author.

By the way, take a look at the photo. Medvedev and his wife are there. but he does not have a wedding ring, which is worn on the finger of his right hand, and there are already two of her. And look at the expression on their faces...

and Medvedev is baptized with 2 fingers ... Therefore, going to church is window dressing ...

Viktor Linnik called Russian meat lovers balabols and recommended that they eat jamon in Spain, and bresaola in Italy.

The President of the Miratorg agricultural holding and the founder of the Dymov group explained to Forbes why they support the ban on the import of meat and dairy products from abroad for personal use

The National Meat Association, which includes the largest producers of meat and meat products, such as Miratorg and Cherkizovo, turned to Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Gordeev with a proposal to ban private individuals from importing meat and dairy products from abroad for personal use (under current rules, Russians can import up to 5 kg of products of animal origin for personal use). Manufacturers also propose to strengthen the control of luggage and hand luggage at the border. And although an Interfax source in the government apparatus assures that “no one is going to introduce any new restrictions for citizens,” the Ministry of Agriculture is still conducting an examination of the proposal, a representative of the Deputy Prime Minister said.

The National Meat Association explains its initiative with the desire to prevent epidemics among animals in Russia, since pathogens can be imported along with food. The ASF (African swine fever) virus is not dangerous to humans, but it can be spread through food waste and wildlife.

In 2018, the World Organization for Animal Health reported almost 5,000 outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF) in 14 countries. Approximately half of the cases were in Poland, more than 1200 cases in Romania. In Russia, according to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the first outbreak of ASF was recorded in 2007, but the number of diseases is declining. So, in 2016, 298 cases of ASF were recorded, in 2017 - 188, in 2018 - 110.

Why is it necessary to ban Russians from importing meat and dairy products, said Viktor Linnik, president of the Miratorg ABH, and Vadim Dymov, founder of the Dymov group.
President of ABH Miratorg Viktor Linnik: “Jamon should be eaten in Spain”

Rosselkhoznadzor and the Ministry of Agriculture should have taken appropriate measures a long time ago, since this concerns the country's food security. And veterinary specialists should have initiated this decision: and if specialists have not done this yet, then this is a mistake that needs to be corrected.

What effect can this ban have on the industry and your business?

The effect for the industry will be huge in terms of production safety, and in terms of profit - 0.

What decision do you expect from the government?

From the government, I expect a ban based on the decision of veterinarians, as is done in Japan, Australia, China, Vietnam, the USA and Canada.

Supporters of the ban refer to Western experience, but there were no anti-sanctions in other countries, as in Russia.

Sanctions were not introduced by Russia first, this was the restoration of justice in relation to domestic producers, who were crushed by importers after the collapse of the USSR. It's my opinion.

What did you replace the products that fell under anti-sanctions? Have you ever brought cheese or jamon yourself in a suitcase?

Never imported: jamon is to be eaten in Spain, bresaola in Italy, parmesan in France. If I need something in Russia, I go and buy local products. Last week I was at the production of jamon and dry-cured sausages near St. Petersburg - PIT - excellent quality, I recommend it. Western experience consists entirely of prohibitions - where were we allowed with our meat or milk? Nowhere! We are always given the opportunity by WTO lovers to compete in our market with imports, and I want to compete in their markets for their consumer. But no one gives us access to it.

Are you afraid that the ban will cause public rejection?

The public needs to think about the development of their own country, and not about jamon and parmesan, which is what we are constantly doing. They threw a tantrum out of nothing, balabols.
Vadim Dymov, founder of the Dymov group: “ASF outbreaks have been recorded in many countries”

Why do you support a ban on the import of meat and dairy products by Russians for personal use?

ASF outbreaks have been reported in many countries. Denmark is building a protective wall 70 km along the border with Germany to counteract the spread of the disease from wild boars, which carry dangerous viruses. Due to ASF in Belgium, there is already an increase in prices for meat products. There are many problems in other countries as well. China had to eliminate 20% of the herd due to ASF.

Judging by the numbers, the problem is acute in many countries, and the Russian government needs to take urgent measures?

Certainly. In many countries, meat prices are already on the rise.

What else needs to be done to prevent epidemics among livestock?

We need biosecurity specialists. We are investing in it.

We are more than twice ahead of the nearest competitor in the production of pork with a figure above 420 thousand tons and came out on top in Russia in the production of beef - over 100 thousand tons in 2018. These achievements are based on advanced technologies, highly qualified employees and well-organized business processes.

We annually increase the volume of manufactured products. In 2018, we produced 114,000 tons of poultry meat, 423,000 tons of pork, and 108,000 tons of beef. Beef production volumes have almost tripled since 2015.

We care about the environment, comply with biosecurity standards and adhere to the principles of ethical business conduct. The environmental friendliness and naturalness of the product remain one of the obvious competitive advantages of Miratorg - we raise animals without the use of antibiotics and growth hormones, our products do not contain GMOs.

We are actively developing in the field of modern technologies: automatic maintenance of the microclimate, lighting level, automated feed and water supply, the use of robots and automated lines allow us to guarantee consistently high product quality.

We carry out the entire production cycle ourselves: from the production of animal feed to retail sales in retail outlets. This allows us to control the quality of products at all stages, and also ensures the optimal cost of the product and its affordable price on the store shelf.

We create new jobs, provide stable work with decent wages, all social guarantees and opportunities for professional growth. Miratorg today is one of the largest employers in the agricultural sector of the economy; more than 37,000 people work at our enterprises. We cooperate with 40 major agricultural and technical universities, have introduced our own scholarship program for promising students and have opened up wide opportunities for internships.

We offer Russians a wide range of safe and affordable meat thanks to a modern quality management system.

The owners of the Miratorg holding, the Linnik brothers, know how to negotiate with the authorities. Thanks to unprecedented state support, they have created the largest pig-breeding complex in Russia, and now they have taken aim at an undeveloped segment - beef production.

Text: Elena Loktionova

Employees of the pig-breeding complexes of the Miratorg holding are forbidden to communicate with pigs outside of working hours. In their own farms (and most employees live in villages), it is strictly forbidden to keep these animals - this is even spelled out in employment contracts. “Recently, we visited more than 1,300 farmsteads of our employees. We identified 16 violators who were severely punished,” says Sergey Nefedov, general director of the BelgoGen pig farm, part of Miratorg, while we are touring the holding’s property near Belgorod.

The draconian measures are understandable. Now, when the African plague is raging in the south of Russia (there is no vaccine for it - farms where sick animals are found are burned to the ground), biosecurity is paramount for Miratorg. "In order to enter the pig farm, employees take a shower and change into overalls, including even underwear."

Pig farms are Miratorg's main asset. They are part of the agricultural holding, which the company built in the Belgorod region and in which it invested 25 billion rubles over five years. Now this holding is the largest in Russia. It includes a grain company, an elevator, a feed mill, 10 pig farms, an enterprise for slaughter and primary processing of meat "Pig Complex Korocha", logistics companies and distribution centers. In total, pig farms are designed to produce 1.15 million heads per year. In 2009, more than 840,000 marketable (subsequently slaughtered) livestock were raised here. The Korocha Pig Complex, launched in June 2009, had already reached its full capacity by the end of the year: 2 million heads (the missing raw materials are bought up in Belgorod farms), or 165 thousand tons of meat in slaughter weight.

A lot, considering that the industrial production of pork in Russia, according to Rosstat, is 800,000 tons per year (another 1.2 million tons come from private farms). Quotas for the supply of imported pork are 500 thousand tons per year, and part of this pie also goes to Miratorg's co-owners, brothers Viktor and Alexander Linnik, since in addition to production they are engaged in meat imports.

Having created their "pig" empire, the Linniks were going to go further: to engage in the production of beef cattle (cattle). If the project in the Bryansk region is launched, Miratorg will become the leader in this segment as well. “It’s like that all over the world. First, poultry farming develops, since the poultry rearing period is only 42 days. Then pig breeding is six months, and, finally, cattle, where the animal grows for 1.8 years,” says Miratorg President Viktor Linnik. in order for large-scale projects to develop, they must be supported by the state. I hope it is already ready for this."

39 thousand tons of products can be simultaneously stored in refrigerators of Miratorg's low-temperature warehouse complexes located in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad

Without a sea of ​​blood

While Sergei Nefedov and I are driving around the Miratorg enterprises, I feel like a correspondent for the Rural Hour program. Around the field, however, thick rye does not spike.

“It's better to come to us in the spring, when everything is in bloom,” says Sergey Nefedov. “Look: these fields belong to us, and these too. Here are our pig farms, only they won’t let us in there, everything is very strict with biosecurity. In general, we have a lot of advanced technologies. For example, the fields are processed by the no-till method. We transport piglets on special three-story animal carriers - there are even drinkers inside. And in terms of pork production, we are no worse than American and Canadian enterprises.

- What does it mean?

— For example, there is such an indicator as feed conversion. That is, how much feed must be spent to get 1 kg of piglet weight gain. We use 3 kg of compound feed, while many Russian farms use 5-6 kg. But feed is 70% of the cost. As a result, our cost is lower (40-45 rubles per 1 kg of pork versus 50-65 rubles on average in the market - SF).

"So, are you all right?" Is there anything bad?

- Staffing is a problem. We have to look for people all over the region, teach them, explain: we do not have a collective farm, but modern production. Here both discipline and knowledge are needed.

We were allowed to go on an excursion to Korocha, including the slaughterhouse. I was already prepared to see the "Texas chainsaw massacre", but everything turned out to be not so dramatic. Pigs are first gassed and only then slaughtered - according to Viktor Linnik, this is the most humane way of slaughtering. There is no sea of ​​blood - everything is quite clean. There are almost more robots in the factory than people. The most "advanced" robots scan the carcass, then cut it exactly in half. Waste-free production - for example, plasma is made from blood (it is then added to animal feed), and flour is made from bones. Products like ears and tails are shipped to Southeast Asia, where they pay good money.

In addition to Asia, Miratorg's owners are going to export Korocha's products to Europe, so the plant was originally built with an eye to being certified according to EU standards. “Europeans have very strict requirements. Even the window sills in the shops must be at a special slope so that bacteria do not accumulate,” says Viktor Linnik. “At first, we installed the window sills the wrong way.

Both Korocha and the plant for the production of semi-finished meat products Concordia (also part of Miratorg; launched in the Kaliningrad region in 2007) were sharpened at the construction stage so that they could subsequently be certified for deliveries to the Russian network McDonald's company. It has no less stringent requirements than the Europeans. So, the employees of Korocha, employed in production, have their pockets tightly sewn up on their overalls. endure.

Korocha supplies pork to McDonald's Russian restaurants. And at the end of 2009, Miratorg agreed with McDonald's that Concordia would produce hamburgers, makchiken and maknuggets. "Concordia immediately focused on deliveries to our restaurants and introduced appropriate quality standards," says McDonald's PR manager Nina Prasolova. "We plan that Miratorg will supply us with 85% of the volume of chicken products by the end of the year."

25 billion rubles invested the holding in the creation of a full-cycle pig farm in the Belgorod region. Now Viktor Linnik needs another 17 billion rubles. for the complex for the production of beef cattle in the Bryansk region

Down with foreigners

Despite deliveries to McDonald's and Asian countries, as well as plans to explore Europe, the Linnikovs are pathologically unable to run a joint household with foreigners. Although it all started with them. In 1991-1992, the brothers organized excursions for Western tourists And in 1995, they began to import meat, creating the Miratorg company. “Quite quickly they realized that they needed to organize their own production,” recalls Viktor Linnik. “To deal only with import and distribution is a thankless thing. In this case, you are a merchant, a reseller - and everything negative that can be said about you will definitely be said.

In 2005, two years after the introduction of pork import quotas, Miratorg became a co-owner of two Belgorod pig farms that belonged to the French company BelgoFrance. However, already in 2007, the Linniks bought out its share from BelgoFrance and began to develop independently. “In four years of work, the French were able to create a herd of 2.5 thousand sows, and in five years we managed to create 53 thousand sows. We just have different approaches to management. If we still worked as a joint venture, we would have endless discussions ", explains Linnik.

The brothers did not work out with the Brazilian Sadia, with which the Concordia was built. The enterprise with a capacity of 58 thousand tons of products per year, in the construction of which 4.15 billion rubles were invested, according to Linnik, is now loaded at 60%, and before Miratorg bought out its 60% share from Sadia last summer, generally idle. The head of Miratorg again sins against different styles of work. “It takes us a day from making a decision to implementing it. And they can have three months,” explains Viktor Linnik. local competitor Perdigao. - SF) In general, I swore to myself that I would no longer have a joint venture with foreigners.

However, Miratorg does not develop relations with Russian companies either. The Korocha Pig Complex was originally built by Linniki together with another large pork producer, also from the Belgorod region, the Agro-Belogorye company. But pretty soon the brothers bought out her share and continued construction on their own.

25.7 piglets - this is the amount of marketable piglets per sow in Miratorg. The average figure for other Russian enterprises is 15.3. Western European producers are also lagging behind: in Germany, the output is 20.2 piglets per sow, in Denmark - 21.9

Pig "disease"

It seems that the Linniks profess the principle "I carry everything with me." They not only created a full-cycle enterprise for the production of pork - they also have their own transport company (about 400 vehicles), distribution centers, branches in different cities. “We have to do everything ourselves, no one provides the necessary services,” explains Linnik. “We work with all segments of the market – with processors, and with HoReCa, chains and scattered stores. We need to deliver our product at a stable temperature in a short time” .

When the Miratorg complexes were being built, the Linniks flew here at least once a week and, wearing rubber boots, inspected how the construction was going. "They are rooting for the cause," says Miratorg's PR manager Ekaterina Shchetinina. As a result of the "disease", the brothers managed to create a business, the turnover of which in 2008 exceeded 28 billion rubles. According to Viktor Linnik, it is expected that in 2009 the turnover will reach 32 billion rubles. (the results of the year have not yet been summed up). Probably, the expectations are destined to come true - for the nine months of 2009, the revenue amounted to 23.15 billion rubles - 13% more than for the same period in 2008. EBITDA increased by 42% to RUB 3.27 billion, while net profit grew by 20% to RUB 1.64 billion.

Although the holding's own production is growing, the income from it does not exceed a third of the total revenue. However, this direction has become the most profitable for Miratorg - its share in the total profit for the first nine months of 2009 reached 88%. It is not surprising that although Linniki plans to maintain the volume of meat imports this year (150 thousand tons), they expect to significantly increase their production, bringing its share in the proceeds to 70%. It fits perfectly into the import substitution strategy promoted by the Russian authorities.

3rd place belonged to "Miratorg" in the pork market (in tons of live weight) in 2008, according to the Institute of Agricultural Marketing. After the Korocha Pig Complex was put into operation, the holding became a leader

heavy beef

When Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visited Korocha Pig Complex last summer, he spent two and a half hours there instead of the planned half hour. “Then we all almost missed the plane,” Shchetinina recalls.

Viktor Linnik tries to maintain good relations with the authorities. They reciprocate by providing loans, state guarantees and interest subsidies. Thus, the project in the Belgorod region was mostly financed by Sberbank. Last year, Miratorg received a loan from VEB for 1.36 billion rubles, which was necessary to complete the construction of pig farms. “Without subsidies, we definitely would not have achieved significant results. Because the projects are long-term,” Viktor Linnik says. “And only banks with state participation can pull large long-term loans.”

Large-scale construction turned into debts. At the end of September 2009, Miratorg's total debt amounted to 21.5 billion rubles, and its ratio to EBITDA was 4 (for manufacturing companies with a long-term investment program, the normal ratio is 2-2.5). “But we have eight-year loans, subsidized by 80%, the effective interest rate there is only 5-6%,” explains Linnik. “Plus, we will only start repaying them in two or three years.”

However, in addition to the funding that has already been received, Linnik still needs money. He started a new large-scale project, now for the production of beef cattle in the Bryansk region. A grain company has been set up there in order, as in the Belgorod region, to provide production with its own feed. The project requires 17 billion rubles, and the period for which loans will be taken will be at least 12 years - three to four years will pass from the start of the project to the receipt of the first product. “This is a good undertaking, there is practically no domestic beef now,” says Alexei Semin, an independent market expert. “If they start next year, we will be able to see the first results only in five years.”

Viktor Linnik himself admits that if it were not for the experience in pig breeding, he would never have thought about raising cattle. “This is a very complex production,” says Linnik. “There are only 17 million head of cattle in Russia, and this is mainly a dairy herd. There are no normal genetics, so we will have to import animals from abroad – from Australia, Canada. If we negotiate with VEB, if we get the go-ahead, then in the spring we will bring in the first livestock.

Miratorg plans to build a slaughterhouse for 50-60 thousand tons of meat and offal in the Bryansk region. Perhaps then the turn will come to a plant for the production of sausages, sausages, etc. “We will build something or buy someone. But this plant will be in the Moscow region or St. Petersburg,” says Linnik.

Director of IKAR Dmitry Rylko agrees with the fact that the production of beef cattle is the most difficult segment of the industry: “Always, even in Soviet times, it was in its infancy. There is no experience, no specialists. Now small enterprises are operating, but they are not very successful. , which was conceived by Miratorg, is very complex. They will be pioneers. And here we cannot do without state support."

Whether the state is ready to finance the revival of the beef cattle industry in Russia is not yet clear. At least the Cherkizovo group has been negotiating with the Russian Agricultural Bank for a loan of 22 billion rubles for more than six months. to start construction of a meat complex in the Lipetsk region. But here we are talking about less risky investments - in the production of pork and poultry meat. As Sergey Mikhailov, general director of the group, told the Federation Council, Cherkizovo is waiting for the decision of the Ministry of Finance to provide state guarantees for the loan. However, the Linnik brothers are no strangers to swaying the authorities to their side.