Ukraine's snail farmers fear collapse over EU lockdowns

1 of 12

Voynivka, Ukraine: When the first snail farm in Ukraine opened five years ago, local villagers couldn't hide their curiosity. Residents of Voynivka south of the capital Kiev would peek over the fence of the old dairy farm where manager Yulia Koretska kept the snails to ask if people really ate them. Image Credit: AFP

2 of 12

Ex-Soviet Ukraine's budding snail industry now boasts some 400 farms which have found eager buyers in European countries like Italy and Spain. Image Credit: AFP

3 of 12

But sweeping coronavirus restrictions that plunged the global food service industry into an unprecedented crisis have threatened to wipe out the fledgling farms in one of Europe's poorest countries. Image Credit: AFP

4 of 12

Most snail farmers in Ukraine - where the delicacy has yet to catch on - rely heavily on sales to restaurants in Europe where economies are still struggling to recover to pre-pandemic levels after months-long lockdowns. Image Credit: AFP

5 of 12

Yuliya Nastasivna, director of Ravlykova Khata farm in the Zhytomyr region west of Kiev, has also struggled to shift stock. She concedes that domestic sales will probably not make up for losses from Europe, since snails are too expensive for most Ukrainians and are still a culinary curiosity. Image Credit: AFP

6 of 12

Before the pandemic, Ukraine's snail industry was booming. Producers last year delivered nearly 250 tonnes to Europe - up from just 93 in 2018 - according to data from Ukraine's consumer watchdog. Image Credit: AFP

7 of 12

Ukraine's snails are in such high demand because they are cheap and of good quality, says Nastasivna. The exports include garden sails - which Nastasivna prefers and wild snails that she says "smell of soil". Image Credit: AFP

8 of 12

The country's main competitor, Poland, has the added advantage of being part of the EU, she said, and Ukrainian farmers are working to woo European clients by undercutting prices by around 10 percent. Image Credit: AFP

9 of 12

The strategy saw her secure sales in France for the first time this year and before the pandemic she was in talks with buyers in Italy. Danileyko and his business partner meanwhile was negotiating with Asian markets and developing snail-based products, like spreads and frozen products. Image Credit: AFP

10 of 12

Despite their popularity abroad, Ukrainian snails have yet to find favour at home where they are prohibitively expensive and too peculiar for most restaurant goers. Image Credit: AFP

11 of 12

But Anna Miller, manager the of Tres Francais restaurant in central Kiev, says her clients are venturing from their gastronomic comfort zones and snails are becoming more popular. "If you compare to eight years ago, then, of course, snails have become more familiar to our guests," she says. Image Credit: AFP

12 of 12

Clients taste snails at a restaurant in Kiev. Image Credit: AFP

Photos News

Ukraine's snail farmers fear collapse over EU lockdowns

More From Photos

Labour's Sadiq Khan wins record third term as London mayor: UK media

70 passengers fall ill with vomiting bug during flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt

UK Elections: Boris Johnson, who introduced voter ID rule, forgets his while voting

Police clear pro-Gaza sit-in at top Paris university

GULFNEWS SECTIONS

Trending

Ukraine's snail farmers fear collapse over EU lockdowns

More From Photos

Labour's Sadiq Khan wins record third term as London mayor: UK media

70 passengers fall ill with vomiting bug during flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt

UK Elections: Boris Johnson, who introduced voter ID rule, forgets his while voting

Police clear pro-Gaza sit-in at top Paris university

GULFNEWS SECTIONS