On Friday, May 15, during a working meeting in Chisinau, the parties discussed the need to strengthen cooperation between corporate organizations of the dairy sectors in Moldova and Ukraine – with a focus on the implementation of modern food quality and safety management systems, including traceability mechanisms along the entire food chain. The parties to the dialog hope that this will contribute to facilitating the access of agri-food products (in particular, the dairy sector of the Moldovan livestock sector) to the markets of European countries.
At the same time, the associations of dairy producers from the two neighboring countries agreed “on the importance of cooperation in the field of genetic improvement of dairy herds and animal reproduction, development and implementation of joint projects in this area”.
Another important topic of discussion was “free movement of goods, simplification of bilateral trade and the need to eliminate non-tariff barriers that may affect the activities of economic operators in the agri-food sector”. The representatives of the Ukrainian side emphasized “the importance of applying fair, clear and transparent conditions for economic operators involved in regional trade”.
Oleg Leshchenko, chairman of “Lapte”, noted in this respect that the economic operators of the food industry in the Republic of Moldova are under constant monitoring and control of the National Agency for Food Safety, the National Agency for Public Health and other competent institutions. These controls are meant to ensure the observance of sanitary-veterinary and food safety norms harmonized with the EU acquis.
“It is important that the same principles and requirements are applied to all economic operators intending to sell products on the Moldovan and European Union markets. Compliance with national food legislation adapted to European standards is a necessary condition for consumer protection, fair competition and sustainable development of the dairy industry”, – emphasized Oleg Leshchenko.
The delegation of the Ukrainian Union of Dairy Enterprises, headed by the director Arsen Didur, expressed “readiness to strengthen institutional and technical cooperation with the competent organizations of the Republic of Moldova and confirmed interest in the development of common mechanisms of cooperation in the field of food safety, exchange of best European practices, digitalization of accounting and traceability systems, as well as implementation of projects financed by the European Union”.
During the discussions, data on the presence of dairy products from Ukraine on the Moldovan market were also presented. According to statistical data, in the first four months of 2026, the import of dairy products from Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova exceeded 12 thousand tons, totaling more than 416 million lei (including 1.35 thousand tons and 53 million lei in Transnistria). In addition, more than 1.8 thousand tons of Ukrainian raw milk were imported to Right-Bank Moldova for processing, totaling 16.6 million lei.
