Ukrainian Agri Council outlines challenges of EU standards
The Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC) has outlined a number of challenges the country's farming sector faces in applying EU standards.
In late October, an updated version of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement entered into force.
The Association Agreement includes the 'EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area' (DCFTA), which covers the trade aspects of the wider political association agreement.
That free trade agreement covers the import into the EU of Ukrainian agri-products, but requires the country to apply many EU standards.
The UAC - which describes itself as a voluntary non-government organisation aimed at representing the interests of its members, who are farmers and food producers - said that the agreement opens new opportunities for trade and engagement with the EU.
However, the UAC also said it is "crucial to hear the voice of farmers themselves", pointing out that a significant share of Ukraine's farmers are currently serving in the armed forces during the war with Russia.
Under the trade area agreement with the EU, Ukraine is required to implement EU regulations on crop production and livestock farming.
UAC chair Andrii Dykun said that this is a "important and complex task" that requires "thoughtful decisions and a balanced state policy".
Dykun said that Ukraine is the only country joining the EU with an already competitive agricultural sector, whereas other central and eastern European countries joined the bloc with underdeveloped sectors that were gradually built up.
"Ukraine is entering the integration process as one of the world's key global food producers," he said.
"European standards represent a comprehensive set of regulations that cover the entire technological model for production. Their implementation implies large-scale modernisation."
Dykun said that Ukrainian standards on crop protection, cultivation technology, livestock infrastructure, environmental standards, and traceability will all have to be updated in line with EU rules.
"Ukraine, however, operates under fundamentally different conditions. A full-scale war is ongoing, a significant number of agricultural enterprises have been damaged, and some remain under occupation.
"As a result, implementing regulations that required years of planned preparation in other countries becomes not only a technological challenge for Ukraine, but an economic one as well," the UAC chairperson said.
Dykun cited analysis which said that implementing EU regulations in their current form in the area of crop protection alone could lead to losses to Ukrainian agriculture of €2.5 billion per year, or around €70-€150/ha, due to around 100 active substances currently permitted in Ukraine being banned by EU regulations.
"The overall losses for the agricultural sector would be even greater. This burden would disproportionately affect small and medium-sized producers, the backbone of rural Ukraine," Dykun continued.
"Thus, the question is not whether Ukraine needs EU standards. The key question is how to implement them in a way that does not undermine a sector that underpins the country’s food security and economic resilience."
Geopolitics
The UAC chair also drew attention to a geopolitical aspect of the challenges, stating that Russia is "well aware" that that the EU and Ukraine together could become the world's largest wheat exporter.
"The key markets for us remain countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East... On the path to European integration, it is critically important not to lose these markets," Dykun said.
"This is why Ukraine needs an approach that can be described as 'one country, two systems'.
"For the European market, Ukraine must fully comply with EU requirements and regulations. At the same time, for other export destinations, Ukraine should retain its current production model in order to remain globally competitive.
"If European regulations are applied simultaneously to all production, especially during wartime, while competing with Russia, the cost of Ukrainian agricultural products will inevitably rise and yields will decline," he warned.
'Hasty implementation'
Dykun also warned of the "hasty implementation" of EU standards, warning that this could lead to several unintended consequences.
The potential consequences include a reduction in production volumes; declining rural employment; loss of competitiveness in global markets; lower foreign exchange and tax revenue; and other countries becoming increasingly dependent on Russia for agricultural supplies.
"Ukraine’s task for 2026 is not simply to move toward European integration, but to do so in a way that ensures European standards become a tool for development rather than a barrier," Dykun said.
He called for several measures to be taken to offset these challenges, including an official economic impact assessment of EU regulations; a realistic transition period; phased implementation; financial support from the EU; and special conditions for small and medium-sized producers.
"These mechanisms do not contradict European integration. On the contrary, they make it realistic, manageable, and mutually beneficial," Dykun said.
"Any major agreement is made up of details. And it is precisely in these details that both risks and opportunities for mutually beneficial solutions are often embedded.
"The implementation of European standards is a necessary step on the path to integration.
"However, it must take place in a way that preserves a strong and competitive Ukrainian agricultural sector," the UAC chairperson added.
