On July 1, a working meeting took place in Kyiv between representatives of UCAB, PU “Ukrainian National Agrarian Forum”, the "Poultry Union of Ukraine" and "Donau Soja" associations, as well as experts from the independent French applied research institute ITAVI (Technical Institute for Poultry, Rabbit, and Fish Farming) and the Agricultural Attaché of the Embassy of France in Ukraine, Jean Lanotte.

The event aimed to deepen the constructive agro-dialogue between Ukraine and France regarding the European integration of the Ukrainian poultry industry. During the meeting, participants discussed the prospects and challenges of implementing European standards, the current state of the poultry industry in both countries considering epizootic risks and market fluctuations, and joint opportunities for the industry's development.

First and foremost, Oleksandra Avramenko, Head of the UCAB European Integration Committee, emphasized that a significant challenge for the poultry industry is export logistics difficulties: "Due to high war-related risks, an insufficient number of containers are entering the ports of Greater Odesa. This makes it impossible to export products by sea that require a specific temperature regime, which includes poultry products. This means that while Ukraine used to export eggs to Hong Kong, for example, it is now impossible because complicated exports, including transit by land through neighboring EU member states, take too much precious time. Due to such prolonged logistics, the goods simply may not reach distant markets while maintaining their quality."

Sergiy Karpenko, Director of the "Poultry Union of Ukraine" association, provided a detailed overview of the state of the poultry industry, outlining the main trends and dynamics. He noted that despite all the challenges, a gradual recovery of the poultry population in the industrial sector was observed in 2024, with a 6.1% increase in meat production compared to 2023, and a 4.8% increase in egg production. A special emphasis was placed on export potential: in 2024, Ukraine exported 447,000 tons of poultry meat, including 137,000 tons to the European Union, ranking 3rd among all countries exporting to the EU. The dynamics of egg exports are even more significant: in 2024, they grew by 58%, and in the first five months of 2025, they increased by 87% year-on-year, with the EU's share in egg exports during this period reaching 71%.

However, despite the positive indicators in the industry's recovery, there is significant pressure on production profitability: "If you look at the dynamics, before the full-scale invasion, we had a stable margin. But after February 2022, the market entered a zone of turbulence: costs began to rise, and product prices became extremely unstable. Added to this is the rising cost of resources. For example, while in 2023 electricity in Ukraine was cheaper than the EU average, in 2024, Ukrainian farmers have to pay more than their European colleagues."

Aymeric Le Lay, an economic research specialist at ITAVI, noted that French producers are concerned about the export of Ukrainian products: "We understand that high prices in the EU market make it attractive for export. However, the scale of the influx and the growth trends of Ukrainian products, especially eggs, are concerning. When our own producers are forced to invest in more expensive cage-free farming systems and face enormous difficulties in expanding production, such a rapid growth of imports carried out under different standards creates a very sensitive market situation."

"It is important to understand: any product that enters the EU market already complies with the necessary European standards. The companies that received the right to export eggs have undergone the appropriate certification and operate according to EU requirements. At the same time, we do not hide that in Ukraine, there are currently different standards for enterprises focused on domestic and foreign markets. A gradual transition is now underway, and our task is to bring the entire industry to unified standards," concluded Mariia Didukh, Director General of the UNAF.

UCAB expresses sincere gratitude to the French colleagues for their visit and readiness for a constructive dialogue. Such meetings are extremely important for building mutual understanding and trust between the professional communities of both countries.