AI helps keep substandard agricultural products off stores shelves in Russia
Russia’s agricultural watchdog is using data analytics and artificial intelligence to identify risks in agricultural production before problems reach consumers or export markets.
In the Tver region, specialists at Rosselkhoznadzor are working with digital registries of agricultural enterprises and mapping services. Data on land use, laboratory test results, inspection histories, and aggregated indicators is fed into a single analytical dashboard. Based on this information, algorithms rank farms by risk level and automatically generate reports for inspectors. The system helps identify potential problem areas in advance and plan targeted on-site inspections.
As a result, the number of routine inspections for compliant producers has fallen, while inspectors are focusing more closely on genuine violations and preventive measures.
How others are doing it
Similar digital systems are already operating in other regions. In the Leningrad region, authorities use digital livestock monitoring through a unified database, making it possible to track products “from farm to shelf” and detect anomalies in herd health indicators even before transport documents are issued.
In Krasnodar Krai, a remote crop monitoring system based on satellite data has been deployed. Inspectors compare satellite imagery with data provided by agricultural producers to verify that declared crop areas and types match reality. This speeds up inspection planning and reduces the number of unnecessary site visits.
Nationwide rollout
Across the country, Rosselkhoznadzor has been developing unified digital registries and electronic laboratory logs for several years. These systems link data from different parts of the agricultural chain, including livestock records, laboratory analyses, veterinary passports, and disease statistics. The tools are integrated into the VetIS information system and similar registries, now used by more than 20 regions.
As a result, digital tools provide not just reports but detailed data for each farm that can be compared against regulations and inspection history. Inspectors can see fertiliser usage, defect rates in samples, and the frequency of anomalies, and base their decisions on this information.
This approach is already reducing the administrative burden on compliant farmers and helping regional Rosselkhoznadzor offices plan their work based on real-time data rather than rough estimates. In the near future, digital registries are expected to connect Rosselkhoznadzor units nationwide into a single network.
