Swiss-Ukrainian Project
Establishment of a risk-based food safety
control system in the dairy value chain in Ukraine
Milk Safety Project
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Training for medium milk producers in Poltava oblast
Apr 24.2019
On April 22-23, 2019 a final training for medium farms that was the part of the series of trainings to ensure traceability and
reduce the use of antibiotics in milk production was held in Poltava oblast.
The safety of raw milk must be confirmed in ways that are equivalent...
Training for medium milk producers in Vinnytsia oblast was held
Apr 24.2019
On April 18-19, 2019, regular training was held for medium farms producing milk in the Vinnytsia oblast, where the Milk Safety Project works with dairy processors of LLC “Loostdorf” and LLC "Azorel".
The theoretical part of the two-day training consisted of three blocks: 1) Requirements of the new food law for milk producers;
Training for medium milk producers in Mykolayiv oblast was held
Mar 27.2019
On March 25-26, 2019 the Milk Safety Project in cooperation with dairy processors Public Joint-Stock Company “Bashtanka Cheese Plant” and PJSC “Pervomayskiy Milk and Canning Complex” in the Mykolaiv oblast gathered medium farms for regular trainings.
The key topics of the two-day training were:
- analysis of hazards in milk production and control at critical points; |
UA
Background
Agriculture and the agricultural value chain are important pillars of the Ukrainian economy.
Prior to the recent geopolitical changes, agricultural commodities constituted about 20% of
national exports and dairy products ranked number four in the list of main agricultural export
products, after cereal, vegetable oils and oilseeds. The main export destinations were CIS
countries, and in particular Russia, and several Asian and African countries. Exports to Russia
have been severely affected recently by the current geopolitical difficulties, but already previously
exports to Russia and other destinations were subject to significant fluctuations as a result of import
bans.
The lack of compliance with EU and international food safety standards is a major obstacle towards the export ambition of the country towards EU and other higher quality markets and also represents a serious public health concern for national consumers due to the potential presence of milk pathogens or pharmaceutical residues (e.g. antibiotics). This has, for the time being, de facto nullified the possibilities for Ukraine to export high value-added final products (e.g. milk, cream, cheese) to the EU or other high-end markets due to the rigorous milk quality and safety standards required by EU member states. However, a recent mission by the Food and Veterinary Office of the European Commission noted that commendable improvements have been achieved in several areas even though many areas for further improvement continue to exist.
The causes for failure to comply with international food quality and safety standards are multifaceted
and range from incompatibility of the legal framework with international food safety standards, over
incomplete implementation and enforcement of existing standards, to a lack of awareness about the
importance of compliance with such standards among producers, the public sector and consumers.
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