From 14 to 16 April, a delegation from the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) visited Lviv region to further cooperation between the Netherlands and Ukraine in the areas of food safety, consumer protection, and animal health and welfare. The delegation was led by Inspector General Gerard Bakker and included Sander de Bruin, Head of the Political-Administrative Affairs Department at NVWA. The visit was organised with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine.
The three-day programme combined meetings with Ukrainian producers and research institutions with official consultations, in line with the shared objective of supporting Ukraine’s continued approximation to European Union standards in food safety, veterinary medicine and animal welfare – an integral part of Ukraine’s EU accession process.
Beeld: © UAgroNL
Joint Statement Signed at the Lviv Regional Military Administration
The visit concluded at the Lviv Regional Military Administration, where the delegation was received by the Head of the Lviv RMA, Maksym Kozytskyi, and by the Head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, Serhii Tkachuk.
During the meeting, Mr. Tkachuk and Mr. Bakker signed a Joint Statement between the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection and the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. The document sets out a framework for cooperation in food safety, consumer protection, and animal health and welfare.
The cooperation will focus on:
1. Exchange of knowledge and experiences in the field of food safety, animal health, and animal welfare, including supervisory practices and risk-based approaches.
2. Strengthening integrity and anti-corruption mainstreaming within inspection and enforcement systems.
3. Building social and institutional resilience, with attention to crisis response, trust, and communication.
4. Enhancing cooperation and capacity building, including dialogue, joint learning activities, and the sharing of data and insights in all abovementioned fields of cooperation.
5. Sharing expertise between our two competent authorities in relation to Ukraine’s EU integration process.
Beeld: © UAgroNL
Meeting with a Relocated Dairy Farmer
Meeting with a Relocated Dairy FarmerThe delegation met with the head of a dairy farm that had been relocated from Sumy region, an area on Ukraine’s northeastern border affected by Russia’s ongoing war of aggression. The discussion addressed the operating conditions faced by Ukrainian dairy producers in wartime, including the relocation of production, disruption of supply chains, rising costs of energy and feed, and the challenges of retaining qualified personnel.
The farmer shared his experience of rebuilding operations in a new region, establishing relationships with local suppliers and processors, and maintaining animal health and product quality standards throughout the transition. The conversation also touched on access to financing, veterinary oversight in wartime conditions, and the longer-term prospects for Ukraine’s dairy sector, including its integration into the European Union.
The meeting illustrated the practical relevance of Dutch–Ukrainian cooperation in the dairy sector, where Dutch expertise in herd management, milk quality control, animal health and farm-level compliance with EU standards can directly support Ukrainian producers seeking to modernise their operations.
Beeld: © AVM
Beeld: © UAgroNL
State Scientific Research Control Institute of Veterinary Medicinal Products and Feed Additives
The delegation visited the State Scientific Research Control Institute of Veterinary Medicinal Products and Feed Additives, one of Ukraine’s principal scientific institutions in the field of veterinary medicine. Discussions with the institute’s leadership focused on several areas of mutual interest:
• the registration and regulatory oversight of veterinary medicinal products;
• research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a shared public-health priority under the One Health approach;
• laboratory control of milk quality and its alignment with European safety requirements.
These areas form a natural basis for cooperation with Dutch institutions, which have long-standing experience in laboratory accreditation, AMR surveillance and the regulatory oversight of veterinary medicines.
Visit to a Poultry Complex
The delegation also visited a newly built egg-production poultry complex in Lviv region, constructed with the use of Dutch technology and designed in line with European standards in animal welfare, biosecurity and food safety. The visit offered a concrete example of how Dutch know-how is already being applied in Ukrainian agribusiness.
Outlook
The visit reflects the continued engagement of the Netherlands in supporting Ukraine’s European integration, including in the fields of food safety, veterinary affairs and animal welfare. The Joint Statement signed in Lviv provides a basis for further institutional cooperation between NVWA and the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection, and for the practical exchange of experience between the two authorities in the period ahead.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine wishes to express its appreciation to the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection for its support in organising the delegation’s programme.