Harmonising the rules for the use of crop protection products with European Union standards will be the most complex and costly element of Ukraine’s agricultural sector adaptation to EU requirements. This was stated in an interview by Taras Vysotskyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, commenting on the prospects of changing trade conditions with the EU, ProAgro Group reported.
According to him, the key EU requirement is the full alignment of Ukrainian production standards with European ones, particularly in terms of product quality and safety, as well as environmental and sanitary norms. By the end of 2028, Ukraine is expected to bring its regulatory framework and agricultural practices into compliance with these requirements, while progress in this area will serve as a key argument for revising quotas and trade regimes in the future.
At the same time, EU rules governing the use of pesticides remain the most difficult to implement under Ukrainian conditions.
“The most complex and time-consuming aspect of adaptation will be the transition to EU rules on the use of crop protection products, particularly pesticides,” Vysotskyi stressed.
He explained that agricultural production operates not within a one-year timeframe but within long-term crop rotation and technological planning cycles.
“A full crop rotation cycle in Ukrainian farms lasts five to seven years, and it is physically impossible to restructure the production system within a single season. This is the longest and most expensive change for the agricultural sector,” he noted.
According to the official, replacing one pesticide with another automatically entails changes across the entire production technology.
“Switching to another pesticide means adapting or upgrading machinery, retraining staff, revising technological maps and the entire financial model. This directly affects production costs and forces producers to reassess the economic viability of each crop,” Vysotskyi explained.
For this reason, he believes that a rapid transition to European pesticide standards is unrealistic without a lengthy transition period.
“We are talking about the need for a transition period of at least 10 years. We do not deny the necessity of these changes and are ready for them, but decisions must be based on real production cycles and economic realities,” he emphasized.
Vysotskyi also pointed to the structure of the global pesticide market as a separate risk. According to him, production programs of European pesticide manufacturers are planned well in advance and do not allow for a sharp increase in demand from a single country.
“If Ukraine were to switch to new pesticides all at once, the required volumes simply would not be physically available. This would create a shortage across the entire agricultural sector and could paralyse the production process,” the deputy minister warned.
He stressed that adapting to EU rules on pesticide use requires a phased approach, clear transition mechanisms, and close coordination with European partners.
Earlier, it was reported that the simultaneous implementation of EU regulations on crop protection products could undermine the profitability of Ukraine’s agricultural sector. The greatest risks are associated with the potential one-off withdrawal of up to 100 active substances currently permitted in Ukraine but banned in the EU.
Source: RBC-Ukraine
