The annual convention of the European Dairy Association (EDA), «European Dairy: Local Roots and Global Competitiveness», is taking place in Bratislava on 14–16 October. The event brings together national dairy associations from more than 27 European countries, the European Commission and business to discuss current challenges and prospects for the dairy sector, the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDEU) reports.
The Ukrainian delegation
Ukraine’s dairy industry is represented by Andrii Tabalov, CEO of Molochna Kompaniia «Voloshkove Pole» LLC and Chair of UDEU’s European Integration Committee for 2024–2026, and Elisabeth Svyatkivska, UDEU Deputy Executive Director for International Affairs and European Integration and coordinator of the committee.
On 16 October, Tabalov will present a report on Ukraine’s dairy industry, its current state, challenges and prospects.
Ukraine’s dairy industry: resilience in wartime
Ukrainian dairy companies continue to operate in extremely difficult conditions. Regular russian shelling damages production and storage facilities, attacks on energy infrastructure cause power outages, and disrupted logistics and labour shortages create further obstacles to stable operations.
Access to the European Union (EU) market also remains a major challenge. Exporters face difficulties obtaining import licences under tariff-rate quotas, and mandatory deposits add a financial burden, tying up companies’ working capital.
Despite these difficulties, the industry keeps working, supplying consumers and preserving its production capacity. Representing its interests at European level is an important part of UDEU’s work to strengthen international cooperation and remove trade barriers.
Key issues in the dialogue with European partners
Taking part in the convention continues UDEU’s consistent dialogue with the European Dairy Association. The delegation’s priorities are issues that directly affect the competitiveness of Ukrainian producers and the industry’s further integration into the European market.
Import licensing under tariff-rate quotas
UDEU is seeking EDA support for changes to the licensing system for Ukrainian dairy quotas. The aim is to develop solutions that make trade procedures more predictable, reduce administrative and financial barriers and create better conditions for Ukrainian exporters.
Implementing the dairy sector’s EU integration roadmap
EDA experts contributed to drafting the Roadmap for the European integration of Ukraine’s dairy industry. The next key step is putting it into practice and updating it in line with the sector’s current needs and the approximation of Ukrainian legislation and practices to EU requirements.
For UDEU, it is important to retain the expert support of European partners, deepen cooperation and ensure steady progress towards integrating Ukraine’s dairy sector into the EU single market.
A shared goal: a strong European dairy sector
UDEU would also like to express its gratitude to a member of the Association – Lactalis Ukraine – for facilitating the UDEU delegation’s participation in this important event.
UDEU continues to work on expanding cooperation with European partners, protecting the interests of Ukrainian producers and creating the conditions for the industry’s full integration into the EU market.
The union is convinced that a strong Ukrainian dairy industry contributes to food security across Europe.
