On April 5, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine established the first Interdepartmental Working Group on Improving Legislation on the Life Cycle of Plant Protection Products in Ukraine, chaired by acting Minister Olga Trofimtseva.

The working group includes representatives of 26 organizations, including state institutions, business associations and international projects. Among the members of the newly formed group are representatives of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, the State Committee for Supervision of Civil Service, the National Police of Ukraine, PJSC "Ukrzaliznytsya", FAO, the American Chamber of Commerce of Ukraine, the European Business Association, the Global Environment Facility Project (GEF) , Twinning project "Approximation of Ukrainian legislation to EU legislation in the field of plant protection and plant health and improvement of relevant inspection and laboratory services", Ukrainian-American (USUBC), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the International Labor Organization in Ukraine, the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, the Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club", the Phytosanitary Association of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Industrial Association for the Protection of Plants, the Union of Beekeepers in the city of Rivne and the Rivne oblast.

The main tasks of the working group are to prepare proposals on improvement of legislation on the life cycle of plant protection products in Ukraine, in particular, on the state testing and state registration, import and sale, storage and use of plant protection products, handling of used packaging and the recycling of obsolete products (drugs).

"Establishing an appropriate Interdepartmental Working Group is an opportunity to combine the efforts of all participants to address the urgent and sensitive issues associated with circulation of plant protection products in Ukraine. Creating an effective traceability mechanism for crop protection products, strengthening state control and responsibility of market participants will help to protect both farmers and consumers as well as sustainable development of agriculture, "commented the acting Minister Olga Trofimtseva.

She added that one of the issues that would be raised during the WG meetings will be the issue related to treatment of crops with crop protection products (agents) and protection of bees from the pesticides.

The working group is a consultative and advisory body of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, which is involved in formation of a national plant protection policy (Plant Protection Means) in Ukraine. The corresponding order on establishment of the working group can be found at the link.

Press Service of the Ministry