4 Oct 2024 17:54

Following Bulgaria, Romania asks European Commission to ban imports of Ukrainian eggs

MOSCOW. Oct 4 (Interfax) - The Romanian Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry has supported Bulgaria's call for banning imports of Ukrainian eggs starting from September 23 at the AgriFish Council and asked the European Commission to find a way to protect European farmers from dumping prices, Ukrainian media said, citing a statement published on the Romanian ministry's website.

"The European Commission needs to intervene in the imports of Ukrainian eggs and poultry. Our farmers fall under poultry farming regulations, which entail much higher costs than those borne by farmers from outside the EU. We are ready to apply the mechanism of import licensing, successfully used towards the imports of grain, sugar and flour," the website a statement by Romanian Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Florin Barbu.

In turn, Bulgarian Agriculture and Food Minister Georgi Tahov said at a meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels on September 24 that the European Commission should ban the imports of Ukrainian eggs by Bulgaria, as those imports have a negative effect on local producers.

In his words, Bulgaria imported 2.618 million eggs from Ukraine in the first half of 2024, which is five times more than last year. The declared prices for imported eggs are much lower than those for eggs made in Bulgaria, which puts serious pressure on domestic market prices.

A week before that, the Bulgarian Association of Industrial Poultry informed the government about a 400% increase in egg imports from Ukraine in 2024. The association said the import duty is not working, as it amounts to only 5% of the wholesale price of eggs, so it has not been able to curb the flow of imports. On the contrary, egg supplies from Ukraine have increased since its introduction. In May, Bulgaria imported about 311 tonnes of eggs, while in July only two regions - Veliko Tarnovo and Dobrich - saw 432 tonnes on their markets.

The association urges the Bulgarian government to demand that the European Commission imposed a ban on the imports of Ukrainian eggs within 120 days and says it will initiate a mass demonstration unless that is not done.