On December 11, the XVII All-Ukrainian Conference DAIRY BUSINESS 2025 was held in Kyiv, which traditionally brings together specialists from Ukraine’s dairy industry and international experts.

Opening the conference, Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, emphasised that the key achievement of the year is the sustainable work of the dairy sector. He thanked everyone working in the industry and noted several positive trends: an increase in milk supply for processing, a rise in livestock numbers in agricultural enterprises, and a positive trade balance expected at the end of the year. He also reported that in the first half of next year, the final adoption of the Law on Trade is planned, which is expected to ensure a fairer distribution of rights and opportunities along the supply chain, regardless of the companies’ financial weight. He also noted that the Ministry maintains constant contact with the European Integration Committee of the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine (SMPU).

Vadym Chagarovsky, the Head of SMPU, outlined the main achievements and challenges of the industry: in 2025, approximately 3.5 million tons of milk are expected to be processed, representing a 10% increase over last year. This, he said, is the result of the work of raw milk producers who were able to provide additional volumes. At the same time, he drew attention to the serious problems facing the industry: the growing share of counterfeit products on the market, the increase in cheese imports and the shortage of professional personnel. He also expressed hope that next year the SMPU will be able to introduce a standard long-term contract for the stability of relations between producers and processors.

Alexander Anton, Secretary General of the European Dairy Association, delivered a welcoming speech. He emphasised the importance of Ukrainian representatives’ participation in European discussions on the future of the Ukrainian dairy industry in the EU and the need to integrate the Ukrainian dairy sector into the European market. He emphasised that the key challenge for the European dairy industry in the coming years will be maintaining sustainability, and this is what, in his opinion, the EU can learn from Ukraine.

Arsen Didur, Executive Director of the SMPU, moderated a session focused on industry challenges, opportunities, and prospects. It was attended by Vadym Chagarovsky, Head SMPU, Hanna Lavreniuk, General Director of AVM, Valentyn Zaporoshchuk, Head of the IMKK Supervisory Board, Ruslan Illichov, General Director of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and Maks Fasteyev, Adviser to SMPU European Integration Committee.

Leonid Tulush, Head of the SMPU Analytical Department, presented a comprehensive analytical overview of the industry’s current state. He focused on both milk production and dairy product manufacturing, as well as foreign trade, noting the need to expand into markets beyond the EU. He specifically focused on the issue of pricing and the importance of long-term contracts that reduce the risks of price fluctuations.

Ihor Huzhva, Director of the State Research Institute for Informatisation and Modelling of the Economy, drew the delegates’ attention ¿to the strengthening of global competition, which is already affecting the Ukrainian industry. In particular, this includes the EU agreement with Mercosur countries, competition with the USA on the global market, and the aggressive expansion of production capacities in Russia and Belarus, which create additional risks. He emphasised the importance of developing vertically integrated partnerships and the active participation of industry associations in attracting EU funding.

Dmytro Kysylevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, presented practical aspects of financing the development and modernisation of production. In his report, he discussed the possibilities of grant programs for enterprises affected by the destruction, the advantages of industrial parks, investment insurance tools against war risks, as well as the launch of a program offering compensation of up to UAH 10 million for damaged property in frontline communities, effective from January 1. He also reported on tax instruments for compensating capital investments, which are expected to take effect from the beginning of 2027.

Continuing Alexander Anton’s opinion on the need to integrate the Ukrainian dairy industry into the European lactosphere, Yelizaveta Svyatkivska, coordinator of the SMPU Committee on European Integration, made a report in which she highlighted the progress in the development of the Dairy Industry Roadmap and called on dairy companies to familiarise themselves with the draft of this document and provide their comments.

Upon completion of the first session, SMPU and the Swiss-Ukrainian Quality Food Trade Program presented certificates and commemorative signs to a number of dairy companies.

In the technical part of the conference, Grzegorz Lokuchewski, Commercial Director of the Polish company Tewes BIS, presented his company’s capabilities aimed at solving technological problems in milk processing and helping enterprises increase their efficiency.

The panel discussion, moderated by Kyrylo Yezhov, Business Development Director at Kantar, focused on marketing, sales, and the features of the domestic dairy market. The participation of Andriy Tuchak, Commercial Director of KOMO, Natalia Hryn, Marketing Director of the Dairy Alliance Group, and Tetyana Korovina, Marketing Director of Molokija, made the discussion substantive and revealed the common obstacles that companies must overcome to achieve high sales results for dairy products across various categories. General view on the changes in dairy consumption in Ukraine was presented by Vasyl Vintonyak, Director of the Infagro analytical agency.

Iryna Vysotska, Coordinator of the Dairy Sector Component of QFTP, moderated a discussion among experts who gathered to discuss the prospects and opportunities for exporting Ukrainian dairy products. European experts took part, including Véronique Aguera, Lead Consultant at GIRA (France), who shared her vision of the future, and Jukka Likitalo, Secretary General of EUCOLAIT (Finland), who presented the details of the new Ukraine-EU trade agreement to the delegates. Maks Fasteyev, Infagro project partner, spoke about trade balances, noting the growth of exports to Moldova and the value-added goods to the EU. Olga Gvozdyova, Advisor to the Office for Entrepreneurship and Export Development, presented Kazakhstan as a promising market for Ukrainian dairy products.

This is the fourth DAIRY BUSINESS 2025 conference, held in the context of a full-scale war. It once again confirmed that the Ukrainian dairy industry is not only able to survive, but also to move forward, strengthening its positions in both domestic and international markets and preparing for integration into the European dairy market.

This event is supported by Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).

This event is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine.

The conference partners are Elopak, KOMO, Loostdorf, Molokija and Tewes-BIS.