Only quarter of Ukrainian industrial pork producers ready to integrate into EU - survey

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) - Twenty-four percent of representatives of Ukraine's pig-breeding industry view the accession to the European Union as positive, because it would open access to new markets with more transparent rules and conditions, Ukrainian media outlets said, citing a survey conducted by the Association of Ukrainian Pig Breeders in cooperation with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

According to analysts, the explanation for such a low percent of positive answers is that the majority of respondents, 40%, associate the accession to the EU with the loss of their competiveness, 26% of poll participants are concerned about an increase in regulatory requirements, and 10% of those polled mentioned the that the sector is not prepared financially and technically in light of a big amount of investments needed to improve the production system to comply with all European requirements.

"Under such conditions, 36.2% of pork producers participating in the poll are convinced that concessional loans, grants, other compensations and access to financial resources are needed for a faster and easier transformation of the industry in accordance with the EU's requirements. Others consider it necessary to remove the corruption-ridden and bureaucratic element from processes of obtaining permits and certificates and a high share of the black market and overcome individual difficulties of operators, as well as economic and military challenges," the industry association said.

The survey involved producers of pork accounting for about 80% the industrial supply on the market. Together, they own over two million head of livestock.