European Commission permits export of Ukrainian planting material to EU

MOSCOW. March 2 (Interfax) - The European Commission has lifted its ban, imposed in December 2019, on the export of apple, plum and quince trees for planting from Ukraine to European Union countries.

The reopening of the European market has become possible thanks to well-coordinated cooperation between specialists of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and members of the relevant association of Ukraine, Ukrainian media said, citing a press release circulated by Ukraine's State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection on Wednesday.

These joint efforts resulted in the adoption by the European Commission of EU Regulations 2022/1309 and 2023/158 on lifting restrictions on the export of apple, plum and quince trees for planting from Ukraine to the EU countries. From 2019 to 2023, these goods could be exported to the EU countries only following the EFSA's analysis of phytosanitary risks with regard to quarantine pests of apple and plum trees.

"It needs to be mentioned that in order to export apple, plum and quince saplings to the EU countries, businesses need to abide by the special phytosanitary requirements set in Appendix VII of the EU Regulation 2019/2072, which includes using production sites or production plots free from quarantine pests. The aforementioned regulations are available for viewing on the website of the State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection," it said.

As reported, the State Service on Food Safety and Consumer Protection and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry agreed on 22 forms of international veterinary certificates for the export of livestock products to 12 countries in 2022.

Last year, the market of Albania was opened for semi-finished meat products from Ukraine, Georgia for snails, the Dominican Republic for milk and dairy products, Israel for ornamental freshwater fish, live rabbits, chewed items for pets, fresh and processed leather and skins, Canada for poultry meat and poultry products, Kenya for milk and dairy products.

In addition, permits have been granted to the export of Ukrainian chewed items for pets, raw and canned pet food to North Macedonia, pet food to Singapore, hatching eggs, canned and processed pet food to Serbia, processed animal protein products (not for human consumption) and fish products to Turkey, table eggs to Pakistan, and meat products and semi-finished products to Montenegro.