Three-quarters of Ukraine's eggs now meet EU standards

Published on : 1 Oct 2026

Farms accredited to export to the EU now produce 75% of Ukraine's table eggs and 83% of its poultry meat, Serhiy Karpenko, executive director of the Union of Poultry Farmers of Ukraine, told Interfax-Ukraine.

Twenty-nine egg production sites, five egg processing plants and 15 poultry meat plants hold EU accreditation. Twenty-two of these businesses were added to the EU export list in 2026. EU requirements have also been mandatory for producers in Ukraine's domestic market since this year, though Mr Karpenko said many small producers are struggling to meet them.

"EU standards are the benchmark for many countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas," he said. "Products that meet EU standards automatically get a green light in most global markets."

Exports

Ukraine exported 1.64 billion eggs worth $164 million in January to August, up 18.3% by volume and 37% by value on the same period of 2025. Spain took 25.4% of shipments, the UK 13.2%, Poland 8.7% and the Czech Republic 7.4%. EU countries took 75.9% of the total.

Exports of egg products rose 36% to 6,700 tonnes, with 76.4% going to the EU. Latvia, Poland and Croatia were the main buyers.

Poultry meat exports rose 12.5% to 330,200 tonnes over the eight months, according to the union, but earnings fell 2.6% to $697.9 million. The Netherlands, the UK, Slovakia and the UAE were the main buyers. The EU took 36% of volumes and 47% of revenue.

Mr Karpenko said China, the Middle East and North Africa, and South-East Asia are the priority markets for growth, along with the US, South Africa and Mexico.

Ukraine lost about a fifth of its industrial egg production capacity when the full-scale war began, mainly in the Chernihiv, Sumy and Dnipropetrovsk regions. Mr Karpenko told Interfax-Ukraine that the sector has since restored that capacity by relocating producers, expanding existing sites and taking on new entrants. With container shipping from Black Sea ports disrupted, exporters now move product by road to ports in Romania, Poland and the Baltic states.