Ukraine poultry producers seek re-imposition of extra import duty

Ukraine farming organisations have proposed the re-imposition of 13 percent extra import duty on poultry meat to protect local producers.

According to the Union of Poultry Farmers of Ukraine board chairman Oleksandr Bakumenko, the Ukrainian public agricultural organisations have called on the government to restore the 13 percent extra import duty on poultry meat to protect the domestic market.

Bakumenko said imports of low quality meat to the country have unbalanced the situation in the domestic animal production sector.

He proposed that minimum sanitary requirements on the quality of meat to be urgently introduced to protect the domestic market.

He also proposed that the government assess the activities of the Economy Ministry, which issued licenses for the import of 3.975 million tonnes of meat - which is the equivalent of two years' demand of the country for the product, according to media reports.