Taras Vysotsky

Ukraine’s EU membership requires the adaptation of livestock farming to stricter standards for product safety, animal welfare and environmental regulations. At the same time, the changes and innovations that agricultural producers will have to implement on farms will help raise production standards and expand export opportunities for Ukrainian products.

The direct losses suffered by Ukraine’s agricultural sector as a result of the full-scale war and Russian attacks have exceeded $11 billion.

Ukraine is capable of identifying grain originating from temporarily occupied territories with a very high degree of accuracy.

The full-scale war has dealt a serious blow to Ukrainian beekeeping, causing both the direct death of millions of insects due to shelling and fires, and the destruction of thousands of farms in occupied and frontline territories.

The European integration of Ukraine’s agricultural sector is now an entirely realistic development scenario for the industry. Ukraine has already implemented around 74% of the provisions of the Association Agreement related to agriculture and rural development, and 83% of those concerning food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary policy.

On May 20, Kyiv hosted the presentation of the Roadmap for the European Integration of Ukraine’s Dairy Sector. The document serves as a strategic framework and a step-by-step plan outlining the direction in which Ukraine’s dairy sector should move on its path toward European integration.The goal of the document is to bring Ukrainian dairy products to the European market and ensure the sustainable development of the industry.The Roadmap was developed by industry associations, including the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine, in partnership with government bodies and with the support of international donors from Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Ukraine continues the systematic adaptation of its agricultural sector to European Union standards. Compliance with EU requirements is already opening new export markets for domestic products and strengthening the country’s position in the global agricultural market.

Ukraine is moving to a more practical stage of EU accession negotiations, with clear priorities for 2026, deadlines for achieving key benchmarks, and the preparation of negotiating positions by sector.

Ukraine can become a key supplier of soybeans to the European Union due to its large production volumes and readiness to comply with new requirements.