Why does the new veterinary medicine draft law need to be refined?

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Elaboration of a new version of draft Law «On the Introduction of Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of Ukraine on Veterinary Medicine' (hereinafter — the Draft Law) took over a year. But after it was released it became clear that document needs significant improvements. Association of Pig Producers of Ukraine as well as other field specific unions, members of Food Safety and Veterinary Committee of Community Council at State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection have taken on this work.

Any law is an instrument that should make the system work. The Draft Law «On Veterinary Medicine' lacks such system in its basis. That’s why it won’t be implemented correctly.

Therein an important constituent is missing — a regulation on private veterinary practice.

The functions of Governmental Institutions in charge of veterinary medicine are restricted. For example, functions of Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food concerning animal farming come down to issuing manuals on prevention and control of contagious diseases, requirements to centers of animals' collection and movement, as well as establishments that conduct gathering/processing/storage/marking/transportation of reproductive material. But the most important point concerning the elaboration of requirements on animal housing is missing. The result of this is obvious. For instance, within 4 years there is a problem on agreeing veterinary and sanitary requirements on pig housing with State Regulatory Service. These requirements would cover minimal demands on biosecurity of different pig households. This would significantly improve the control of ASF in Ukraine, but the Central Body of Executive Power doesn’t have the authority to develop such documents!

One more innovation of this Draft Law is an operational permit for farms, although such document is foreseen only for market operators, involved in production and/or storage of food products of animal origin. In addition, the document includes a number of provisions, regulated by other laws, and contradicts with them, as, for example, in the case of the Law «On by-products of animal origin that are not intended for human consumption».

«Certainly, this draft law is extremely important for reasons of epizootic well-being of the country. The new Draft was created in the framework of ongoing harmonization with European legislation. But the document needs to be revised to become a „working“ one. It is not enough to translate and adapt the requirements, working in the EU. It is necessary to understand how they will affect the system of functioning of the veterinary medicine industry in Ukraine, how much they can be realized and, as a result, will improve its efficiency, and will not become another obstacle, as it often happens,» — they comment at the APPU.