ULYANOVSK, August 24. / TASS /. The Mars company has started construction of the second stage of a research and development center for studying pet nutrition in the Ulyanovsk region. The opening of the block, where they will be engaged in feeding dogs, is scheduled for the end of 2022, Sergey Vasin, CEO of the regional development corporation, told reporters on Tuesday.
The Mars Research Center for the Study of Pet Nutrition has been operating in the Ulyanovsk Region since 2018. At the moment, 270 cats live in it, which help the company's employees to determine the palatability of the food. The agreement on the implementation of the second stage of the investment project was signed between the regional government, the Ulyanovsk Region Development Corporation and the investor at the site of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in June 2021.
“As a result of the expansion of the Mars Pet Nutrition Research Center, about 30 new skilled jobs will be created. The opening of the new unit is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2022,” Vasin said.
According to Maxim Lomako, vice president of research and development at Mars Petcare in Russia, it is planned to transport about 90 dogs to the region from an existing kennel in the Moscow region. “We plan that we will conduct about 100-150 studies a year with these animals. Our dogs are real expert tasters, respectively, we train them on all feeds on the Russian market,” he told reporters.
Lomako added that the new building will be adjacent to the cat block. “There will be all the necessary rooms in which the dogs will live, special distribution rooms, a veterinary unit and special functional equipment for training animals. In particular, we will have an interesting project when we will test water treadmills so that dogs have the opportunity develop joints, “he explained.
About 725 million rubles of investments will be allocated to create a block for dogs. Animals of different ages, sizes and breeds will live here. “We have dachshunds, Spitz, Pomeranian. The biggest dogs are huskies. Animals from one to seven years old will participate in the research,” Lomako said.
