On July 12, the order of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine came into force. This order introduced new requirements for safety and quality of milk and dairy products.

This document aims to unify Ukrainian and European requirements, regulate the key microbiological indicators, adapt technological requirements to modern realities and to cancel outdated norms and requirements.

The new DSTU (State Standards of Ukraine) 3662:2015 standard identifies 3 varieties of milk: extra class, top-quality and the first class milk. It means that the milk of the second-class quality will not be allowed at the processing enterprises. Moreover, according to the new standard, milk should be chilled and filtered, obtained from healthy cows and contain no traces of “antibiotics, veterinary drugs, detergents, formalin, preservatives, peroxide”.

In accordance with the obligations under the Association Agreement and the SPS Comprehensive Strategy, Ukraine should harmonize its laws in accordance with the EU Regulation № 853/2004, which lays down specific hygiene rules for food of animal origin, including unpasteurized milk and dairy products.

To make it easier for the milk producers to adapt to the new requirements, it was decided to set a transition period by 2022. Ukrainian authorities support the creation of the appropriate infrastructure for household service and provide agricultural cooperatives with assistance in the process of equipment purchasing. People who live in the rural areas benefit from this as well because they will get higher purchase prices for milk and more business opportunities.