EuroTier 2026 in Hanover hosted the expert forum «Ukrainian Livestock on the Path to the EU: Standards, Investment and Competitiveness», where the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDEU) was represented by Elisabeth Svyatkivska, Deputy Executive Director for International Affairs and European Integration.
Key points:
- EuroTier 2026 runs in Hanover from 10 to 13 November, with more than 2,100 companies from 55 countries;
- the forum discussed EU animal welfare requirements, modernisation and investment in Ukrainian livestock farming;
- the new EU livestock strategy has five objectives, and climate targets remain in place;
- Ukraine’s main challenge is administrative capacity and the real implementation of laws.
The world’s leading livestock exhibition
From 10 to 13 November 2026, Hanover, Germany, is hosting EuroTier 2026, the world’s leading exhibition for professional animal husbandry and herd management, organised by the German Agricultural Society (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft, DLG). More than 2,100 companies from 55 countries are taking part.
EuroTier traditionally brings together leading equipment manufacturers, technology companies, scientists and practitioners from around the world.
The exhibition’s main theme is «Intelligence in Animal Farming»: how to increase productivity, use resources more efficiently and ensure proper animal welfare. The programme focuses on modern technologies, digital solutions and innovations that improve production efficiency, animal welfare and sustainable development of the sector.
A forum on Ukrainian livestock’s path to the EU
The expert forum brought together policymakers, industry associations and companies from Ukraine and Germany. It focused on animal welfare and production requirements, priority areas for modernisation and investment, and concrete opportunities for cooperation.
Participants paid particular attention to the conditions for modernising and rebuilding the sector amid the consequences of the war, including energy supply, human resources, financing and investment security.
Key takeaways for the dairy industry
Elisabeth Svyatkivska said the presentation by Hans-Peter Schons, director of the German Livestock Breeders’ Association (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutscher Tierzüchter, ADT), was especially useful. She shared key points that are also important for the dairy industry.
- The new EU Strategy for Livestock (COM(2026)576) has five objectives: resilience, competitiveness, sustainability, territorial diversity and excellence. Climate targets have not been abandoned. To meet the 2030/2040/2050 targets, livestock farming will have to transform. At the same time, farmers need investment support, fair markets and payment for public goods.
- Animal welfare: from directives to regulations. By the end of 2026, the Commission will propose changes for broilers and laying hens, and by mid-2027 for pigs. A gradual phase-out of cages, farm-level welfare indicators and equivalent requirements for imports are expected.
- Animal health (Regulation (EU) 2016/429). Harmonisation in Ukraine is still at an early stage, lacking IT systems, registers and standardised procedures. A positive sign: Ukraine already works in TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System).
- Less money for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The new Multiannual Financial Framework is likely to provide less funding for agriculture, and current CAP instruments do not fit Ukraine’s structure of large farms very well.
- The main challenge is administrative capacity. Report SWD(2026)699 records Ukraine’s progress. Ahead lie paying agencies, a digital farm register, official controls under Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and real implementation of laws, not just their adoption.
«The EU is increasingly looking less at the laws adopted and more at how they work in practice. That is why we need to speed up implementation, build institutions and systematically defend the sector’s interests in Brussels at the same time. This is exactly what we are working on in the UDEU EU-Integration Committee», Elisabeth Svyatkivska stressed.
