Former Soviet Union countries Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan experienced significant contractions in meat production in the 1990s and early 2000s, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently noted that this trend has reversed since 2005. In fact, meat production was more than 70% greater in 2011-15 than the low point in 2001-05.

“The move from a centrally planned to a market-based economy in the 1990s upended the growth of the livestock sector,” USDA said. “Because of severe financial constraints, the large budget subsidies to agriculture — and especially the previously favored livestock sector — were mostly terminated, which led to reduced production.”

However, renewed subsidies and other policies beneficial to the industry allowed the livestock sector in these countries to rebound. From 2000 to 2015, average annual meat production rose by 39% in Kazakhstan, by 116% in Russia and by 50% in Ukraine.