From Commitments to Actions: Ukraine Implements European Animal Welfare Standards
For the third time, Ukraine joined the global initiative marking World Day for Farmed Animals: on 29 September and 2 October 2026, the “Animal Welfare – Ukraine 2026: From Commitments to Actions” Forum was held in a hybrid format.
The Forum aimed to support Ukraine’s transition from legislative harmonisation to the effective implementation of EU rules on farmed animal welfare by reviewing progress under the Roadmap for Ensuring the Implementation of EU Animal Welfare Legislation in Ukraine for 2025–2027, exchanging practical experience and approaches, facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue, and identifying priority needs and opportunities for coordinated support from international development partners.
More than 830 participants registered for the Forum, including representatives of public authorities, professional and business associations, livestock farms and other business operators, research and educational institutions, non-governmental organisations, EU Member States, and international development partners.
In his welcoming remarks, Taras Vysotskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, emphasised:“European integration is not only about adopting the necessary legislation and aligning our rules with the EU acquis. Above all, it is about concrete changes that work in practice. In the area of farmed animal welfare, we already have clear commitments and have set out in the Roadmap the necessary steps up to 2028. Our task now is to ensure their consistent implementation – from preparing public authorities and business operators to ensuring effective controls and day-to-day compliance with the requirements. It is essential for us that European standards become part of everyday practice in Ukraine’s livestock sector. This is what moving from commitments to actions means. This is how we are building a system compatible with European standards.”
Serhii Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, also delivered welcoming remarks and noted: “Animal welfare is one of the key areas of work of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection. Our role is not limited to carrying out official controls; it also involves building an effective system that will ensure compliance with animal welfare requirements at every stage — from keeping animals to their transport and killing. Today, we are creating the necessary conditions for this system to function effectively: training specialists, learning from the practical experience of our European partners, improving official controls and introducing digital solutions. Compliance with European approaches in this area also creates new opportunities for Ukrainian businesses, expands export potential and facilitates access to international markets, strengthening Ukraine’s position as a reliable trading partner.”
The first day of the Forum, 29 September, focused on the exchange of French and Ukrainian experience in practical approaches to ensuring animal welfare. French experts presented the public policy framework and organisation of official veterinary services, approaches to training business operators’ personnel, as well as the role of sectoral technical institutes in implementing animal welfare standards.
The discussion then moved from public policy and personnel training to practical solutions at farm level. Representatives of the French company Orvia Group shared approaches to implementing welfare requirements for waterfowl, while Ukrainian business operators presented their own solutions. In particular, representatives of MHP PJSC presented practical approaches to ensuring broiler welfare, while the Eridon Group of Companies shared its experience of integrating relevant requirements into everyday dairy farming practices.
The exchange of experience during the first day laid the groundwork for further discussion on the implementation of these requirements in Ukraine.
The second day of the Forum, 2 October, focused on progress in implementing the Roadmap, the preparedness of public authorities and business operators, as well as next steps and support needs.
“Ukraine is moving towards EU membership, and the harmonisation of legislation with the EU acquis should be accompanied by its effective implementation, including in the area of animal welfare. The EU-funded EU4SaferFood project has consistently supported Ukraine along this path – from the support it provided during the harmonisation of legislation in this area to the support it provides today to strengthen the capacity of the competent authority, improve the official control system, and prepare farmers and business operators for the new requirements,” said Vidmantas Paulauskas, the EU4SaferFood project Team Leader.
Representatives of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection presented the current state of harmonisation of Ukrainian legislation with EU requirements, progress in preparing the official control system and developing the procedures and tools needed for its implementation, as well as progress in training specialists and raising awareness of the new requirements.
Alongside the preparedness of the public system, another important topic was the readiness of business operators to apply European standards in practice. Representatives of associations from the dairy, pig, poultry, sheep and goat, and meat sectors discussed business needs and the role of professional associations in preparing producers for the practical implementation of animal welfare requirements.
Manon Schuppers, Co-CEO of SAFOSO AG and International Expert of the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sectors in Ukraine” (QFTP), emphasised:“Compliance with animal welfare standards in Ukraine is not only a prerequisite for EU integration. These standards will also contribute to improving animal health and increasing productivity throughout the production chain. QFTP will continue to support sector representatives in implementing animal welfare standards in line with EU requirements.”
At the conclusion of the Forum, participants discussed the next steps in implementing the Roadmap and the support required for its implementation. Consistent application of the requirements in Ukrainian livestock farming requires coordinated action by public authorities, businesses, professional associations and international partners. The Roadmap provides common guidance for this work — from training specialists and business operators to effective controls and day-to-day compliance with animal welfare requirements.
Video recordings of both Forum days, as well as the speakers’ presentations, are available via the links below:
Day 1 recording — 29 September;
For reference:
This event is organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and in cooperation with the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection
with the support of:
Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value-Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland);
France within the project of deployment of high level seconded experts to Ukraine financed by French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and implemented by Expertise France and with the participation of experts from the French Ministry of Agriculture, Agri-food and Food Sovereignty;
European Union within the project “Improvement of Legislation, Control and Awareness in Food Safety, Animal Health and Welfare, and Phytosanitary in Ukraine” (EU4SaferFood);
in partnership with:
Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine;
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine;
Embassy of Denmark in Ukraine;
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
