Why European farmers are scared With Ukraine and why this threat is overblown
No topic irritates the EU more than agricultural integration. One only needs to recall the blockades of the Ukrainian border by Polish and other farmers to see the bias toward Ukraine’s agricultural sector.
Will European farmers block Ukraine’s progress toward EU membership? And is Ukraine ready to meet the standards that apply to the EU agricultural market – from pesticide regulations to animal welfare rules?
Read more about this in the article from the series The Kitchen of EU Integration, prepared by European Pravda editors based on closed-door discussions with government and parliament representatives: Food negotiations: why Ukraine’s agriculture scares EU and will it block our accession. Due to the sensitivity of the topic and the closed format of the discussion, officials’ names are not disclosed.
Claims that Ukraine’s accession threatens the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) did not appear out of nowhere and these arguments come not only from farmers.
Even some expert studies, for example from the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank, suggest that if Ukraine joined the EU without transition periods, Ukrainian farmers could claim almost 30% of the current volume of EU agricultural subsidies. And since total subsidies are limited, the EU would indeed have to revise the CAP and reduce support for farmers.
Some are even calling for Ukrainian farmers to be denied the right to EU subsidies. Moreover, this idea has occasionally been supported in Ukraine, particularly by large agribusiness groups for whom subsidies are irrelevant.
But the government stresses: this option is not on the table.
What’s more, Kyiv is convinced that despite popular stereotypes, Ukraine’s accession would not collapse the EU’s agricultural fund. The actual volume of aid Ukrainian farmers could claim is far lower than the figures being used to frighten European farmers.
EU subsidies are designed for small farmers, who make up the majority in Europe, and the maximum subsidy is capped at €400,000 per owner (or corporate group).
By contrast, a significant share of Ukrainian land is controlled by companies cultivating over 10,000 (even 100,000) hectares. This is large agribusiness by European standards. Such entities are not eligible for subsidies and do not need them.
The Ukrainian government believes that many actors are deliberately spreading myths about a "Ukrainian threat."
There are also sectors where expectations of Ukraine’s disruptive impact are clearly exaggerated.
"Ukraine’s agricultural sector is indeed one of the most competitive in the world when it comes to grain or oilseeds. But we are not always the most competitive in producing high value-added agricultural goods," one government official noted.
This could become a major growth point after EU accession and create new opportunities for European agribusiness investment.
Setting emotions aside and returning to technical aspects, the situation looks generally positive for Ukraine though there are issues where we lag behind. Opponents of accession include not only European but also Ukrainian farmers, particularly small ones focused exclusively on the domestic market.
"Everything related to harmonisation and implementation of EU standards does not always go smoothly for businesses, especially for small farmers," acknowledges one member of Ukraine’s negotiation team.
Although the government aims to rapidly implement all EU standards, some areas will be objectively impossible to align quickly. In such cases, Ukraine will seek transition periods provided it can justify them to European partners.