The Poultry Union of Ukraine is calling for a facts-based debate about the future of the European poultry sector after condemning the spreading of ‘fake news’ about Ukrainian exports.

The Poultry Union of Ukraine is seeking to correct the record after a briefing littered with inaccuracies and misunderstandings about Ukrainian poultry was sent to Members of the European Parliament and to stakeholders. This is being viewed as an attempt to undermine re-negotiations between the European Union and Ukraine Government on poultry quotas as part of the trade agreement between the two.

The Poultry Union of Ukraine regrets the anti-Ukrainian agenda which has crept into the debate as the European Union goes to the polls later this month.

The Union wants to take this opportunity to correct the following:

- Ukrainian poultry producers have never broken the Association Agreement;

- The Ukraine has always acted fully in accordance with the EU legislation;

- Ukrainian products exported to the EU, like all exporters to Europe, are fully compliant with all EU legislation on food safety and animal welfare and are correctly classified;

- The Agreement is a strategic partnership for both sides that benefits both the EU and Ukraine, as well as provides all producers with certainty on the volume of poultry traded in the EU;

Sergii Karpenko, Executive Director of the Poultry union of Ukraine said: “The trade agreement between the European Union and Ukraine creates a level playing field for all producers and ensures we have fair and healthy competition. This is good for consumers. “Unfortunately, we have seen a rise in anti-Ukrainian rhetoric ahead of the European elections later this month. We regret that fake news, misinformation and wilful inaccuracies are freely used now in the debate about European poultry. “We have asked the authors of this briefing to correct the record on the inaccuracies on this document disseminated around the EU and its stakeholders. If they fail to do this, it exposes the tactics as blatant electioneering. “If we are going to deliver quality poultry products at affordable prices for our consumers, protect the plurality of the industry and meet rising demand, we need a debate which is based on evidence and facts.”

The Poultry Union advises those looking for reassurances on the country’s poultry standards consult the DG SANTE 2019 audit, which confirms the high standards among Ukrainian exporters.