A herder walks with reindeers along the tundra area. [Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/Agencies]

Temperatures can sink below minus 40 C in winter.

At the Harp cooperative, the reindeer have their antlers removed before the weaker specimens are taken to the slaughter house.

Herders saw off antlers from even the stronger animals as they are valuable and fall off by themselves if left to grow. Reindeer hides are salted to preserve them before being sold for export to countries including Finland.

Herders receive a subsidy of 130 rubles ($2.08) for each kilogram of reindeer meat they send to be processed, according to the local government, as well as monthly social support payments.

The meat subsidy is to be cut by around 40 percent next year as weak oil prices have hurt the Nenets region budget, which depends on oil for 98 percent of revenues.