Ukrainian entrepreneurs have published an open letter to the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky. It brings together the members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine (representing the interests of American companies and investors), European Business Association (the largest and the most influential business association in the country, including more than nine hundred member-companies) and the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs. In the letter they explain to the head of state and the Cabinet of Ministers the importance of passing bills that would allow pet products enter Ukrainian market.
Currently, many brands of food are available in the country, but it is impossible to register a new one or even an existing one with updated formula. This was due to omissions in the drafting and adoption of the new law that has been recently passed.
Until January, 2020, every formula for the prepared product had to be registered for import or production. But on January 1st the government introduced new legislation on food safety and hygiene. It changed the registration system: now food can be produced or imported into Ukraine only if its components are registered in the newly established State Registry. However, the registry was never actually created. As a result, manufacturers and importers cannot register new products or those that have been updated.
Pet business representatives have been seeking for more than two years to bring EU requirements for registration of food components and supplements in line with the requirements set by Ukrainian legislation. That would precisely mean the introduction of the aforementioned State Registry. But the things are still where they started. Moreover, shipments of food imported from the EU are already being suspended. At the same time, revenues to the state budget are reduced, while pets – and there are about 11 million of them in Ukraine – are deprived of access to quality products. Food with updated or improved recipes, imported or domestic, cannot get to Ukrainian consumers. What is more, any specialized therapeutic food that is not produced in Ukraine was left behind the line. However, it remains critical for maintaining the health and life of animals.
As of today, two draft laws have been submitted to Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament). According to industry experts, they can solve the issue with production and supply of new pet food. The business community hopes that these bills will be passed in the near future.
