Oksana Yurchenko, President of the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders, took part in the conference along with representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy. She shared her vision of the European integration process for Ukrainian producers, noting that Ukraine's accession to the European Union raises ‘fears’ on both sides. While European farmers are worried about competing with the powerful Ukrainian agro-industrial complex, Ukrainian producers associate integration with heavy regulations in the field of environmental legislation and animal health, as well as significant investments in modernisation and compliance with EU requirements.
«Today, Germany has allocated 1 billion euros to support the pig sector to create conditions for keeping pigs close to natural conditions. Ukrainian producers need no less to implement mandatory welfare standards, but in the current environment they have to do it at their own expense. At the same time, due to the economic situation and the war, consumers are not ready to pay more for so-called ‘safe meat’, as they are concerned with the provision of animal protein in general, not whether the animal's tail is not cut off during its lifetime».
Separately, Ms Yurchenko stressed that the lack of financial support makes it extremely difficult for Ukrainian producers to adapt to European requirements. In order to overcome the ‘fears’ on both sides — Ukraine and European countries — it is necessary to deepen the dialogue and form a common position.