Ukraine poultry industry hits back at criticism
Responding to a report sent to Members of the European Parliament and relevant stakeholders, the trade body took umbrage at various issues, including allegations that poultry producers had broken a Europe-wide agreement; that the country hadn’t acted in accordance with EU legislation; and that Ukrainian products weren’t fully compliant with all EU legislation on food safety and animal welfare.
Sergii Karpenko, executive director of the Poultry Union of Ukraine, said: “The trade agreement between the European Union and Ukraine creates a level playing field for all producers and ensures we have fair and healthy competition. This is good for consumers.”
Karpenko said the union viewed the report as an attempt to undermine renegotiations between the European Union and Ukraine Government on poultry quotas as part of the trade agreement.
“Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in anti-Ukrainian rhetoric ahead of the European elections later this month. We regret that fake news, misinformation and wilful inaccuracies are freely used now in the debate about European poultry.
“We have asked the authors of this briefing to correct the record on the inaccuracies on this document, disseminated around the EU and its stakeholders. If they fail to do this, it exposes the tactics as blatant electioneering.
“If we are going to deliver quality poultry products at affordable prices for our consumers, protect the plurality of the industry and meet rising demand, we need a debate that is based on evidence and facts.”
