Ukraine halves the EU poultry export quota
Ukraine has approved a quota of 55,536 tonnes of poultry exports to the EU in 2025 against 132,200 tonnes in 2024, according to a decree published on the governmental website.
An export quota on turkey meat, which is set independently, was also reduced by nearly half to 1,565 tonnes, the government revealed. The country imposed a quota on poultry meat and by-products exported to the EU market from 1 July 2024 as part of the duty-free trade deal.
Reinstating status quo
The quota reduction was lobbied by European poultry farmers. For example, The National Poultry Council of Poland struggled to lower the quota to 90,000 tonnes in 2025, Dariusz Goszczyński, president of the Council, revealed speaking with a local news outlet, Pulz Biznesu. He explained that the proposed threshold would lower Ukrainian poultry exports to the EU to the level of 2021.
Historically, European poultry farmers have voiced concerns that Ukrainian poultry companies, not subject to the same strict ecological and animal welfare standards, are more competitive in the EU market.
Goszczyński assumed that even if Ukraine implements animal welfare standards and sustainable production principles, the scale of the poultry farms in the country and generally lower production costs would still keep Ukrainian chicken more competitive in Europe than products from local suppliers.
During the first 10 months of 2024, Ukraine exported 373,800 tonnes of poultry and by-products, which is 5.4% more compared to the previous year, the Ukrainian State Customs Service calculated. In monetary terms, exports jumped by 19.5% to US$796.2 million. The main sales markets for Ukrainian poultry were the Netherlands (with a share of 22.5%), Saudi Arabia (16.4%) and Slovakia (8.9%).
Pending negotiations
The export quotas are perceived as a temporary solution, as the existing Ukraine-EU trade agreements are likely to be re-negotiated in the coming months.
Yana Kavushevska, head of the Ukrainian sugar manufacturers association Ukrtsukor, unveiled several possible scenarios for export quotas to the EU that are under consideration. “One of them envisages that by June 2025, we will have time to review the terms of the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement, which were in effect until 2022, and agree on new, increased quota volumes,” Kavushevska said.
However, the new terms of the agreements may not be ready in time, in which case the existing autonomous trade preferences regime will remain in force until the end of 2025, Kavushevska added.
