The Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (UDEP) has appealed to the government to protect the domestic dairy industry and apply mirror measures to Polish dairy products, in particular, to ban their imports for the period of the ban on exports of Ukrainian dairy products to Poland.
Source. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
"In the first quarter of 2023, Ukraine exported dairy products worth $50.34 million, of which exports to Poland brought the state $4.81 million, which was 9.6% of total sales in foreign markets," said Arsen Didur, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Food and Beverage Association, in a comment to the agency.
According to him, supplies from Poland accounted for the lion's share of total imports to Ukraine for almost all types of dairy products, except butter and milk fats.
In January-March of this year, Ukraine imported 3.36 thousand tons of cheese alone, worth $18.45 million, which is almost four times the value of all Ukrainian dairy exports to Poland.
At the same time, Ukraine imported dairy products worth $55.42 million over the same period, with imports from Poland amounting to $24.70 million or 44.6% of the total.
"The EBA is disappointed with the outcome of the Ukrainian-Polish negotiations on the export and transit of Ukrainian agricultural products to Poland, according to which transit is allowed, while an embargo is imposed on exports," the association said in an appeal to the government.
Ukrainian producers insist that the outcome of the negotiations and the introduction of a ban on the supply of dairy products from Ukraine to Poland will jeopardize the domestic dairy industry.
Instead, Warsaw reminded that only the European Commission can decide on trade restrictions and asked the Ukrainian government and European colleagues to help bring Ukraine's trade relations with Poland back into line with European law.
Background. As a reminder, the European Union is preparing restrictions on food supplies from Ukraine. The European Commission also intends to pay compensation to farmers in Eastern Europe in the amount of 100 million euros.