Romania adds eggs and poultry meat to Ukraine import licence list

Romania has extended the list of imports from Ukraine that require a licence to enter the country, according to a government decision on Wednesday, following complaints from Romanian farmers about the dumping prices of Ukrainian products.

Romanian poultry producers are facing a "serious problem" due to imports of eggs and poultry meat from Ukraine, which are sold at prices far below Romanian production costs, Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said after a government meeting on Wednesday.

Following discussions with representatives of the poultry sector, the government decided to add eggs and poultry meat to the list of products that can only be imported from Ukraine with a licence.

It is "our duty to protect Romanian production", explained Barbu.

Cereals, seeds, flour, and sugar are also on this list.

As an EU member, Romania must observe certain production requirements in the poultry sector, making costs "30% higher than in Ukraine," Barbu added.

Barbu also stressed that there was no ban on Ukrainian egg and poultry imports.

"We made this licensing decision to ensure that when the food industry needs these products, and Romania isn’t fully self-sufficient, only Romanian processors can import them under a licence,” he added.

After the European Commission chose not to extend the ban on Ukrainian grain imports to five neighbouring EU countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary) in September 2023, Romania introduced import licences for grains and oilseeds from Ukraine and Moldova. This measure, introduced in October last year, has been extended.

Under this decision, only Romanian companies involved in oil and fat production, milling, animal feed production, and animal husbandry are authorised to import agricultural products from Ukraine or Moldova.

(Catalina Mihai | Euractiv.ro)