80% of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises could lose their subsidies after joining the EU
After Ukraine joins the European Union, approximately 80% of Ukrainian agricultural enterprises may not be eligible for European agricultural subsidies due to the specifics of current EU regulations.
This was stated by Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Oleksiy Sobolev during the GRAIN UKRAINE conference.
According to him, the problem lies in the fact that most Ukrainian farms have significantly larger areas than those stipulated by the criteria of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
“If we look at how it is currently written, 80% of our farms will not be able to participate because the size of the farms is larger than what is stipulated in the EU,” the minister noted.
Sobolev also emphasized the need for transition periods to allow the Ukrainian agricultural sector to adapt to European requirements, particularly regarding the use of plant protection products.
According to the ministry’s estimates, the transition to new standards will require investments of 2 to 4 billion euros for the Ukrainian agribusiness sector. At the same time, due to the war, most enterprises will not be able to finance such changes on their own.
The minister stressed that during accession negotiations, Ukraine will insist on the phased implementation of technical requirements so that European integration does not weaken the competitiveness of Ukrainian agricultural exports on global markets.
Source: Delo.ua, Oleksiy Sobolev.
Over the past year, prices for meat and meat products in Ukraine have risen by up to 45% in some places. Beef remains the most expensive—its price continues to hover at record levels. Experts predict that by the end of winter, meat prices could rise by another 5–7%.
Inflation in Ukraine: prices rose by 0.4% in November.
