NUBiP of Ukraine and Swedish Partners Launch Work on the “Healthy Livestock – Safe Food” Programme
On 8 September 2026, the first meeting was held under Work Package 2.1 of the training programme “Healthy Livestock – Safe Food, Animal Production Aligned with EU Regulations,” part of the Swedish-Ukrainian project “Economic Development through Agriculture in Ukraine,” implemented with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). Its goal is to strengthen the capacity of Ukraine's agricultural sector, develop modern and safe production, and bring it gradually into line with European Union requirements.
Work Package 2.1 is coordinated by Emelie PETTERSSON EATON, Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA). The Swedish part of the working group also includes Emelie ZONABEND KÖNIG, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and Kristina MATTSSON, Swedish Board of Agriculture (SJV).
The Ukrainian side was represented by VolodymyrTKACHENKO, Associate Professor at the Department of Veterinary Surgery named after Academician I.O. Povazhenko; Mariia GALABURDA, Associate Professor at the Department of Animal and Food Hygiene named after Professor A.K. Skorokhodko; Oleksandr MARTYNIUK, Associate Professor at the Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Animal Health; and Oleksandra RALKO, Associate Professor at the Department of Administrative Management and International Activity. The working group brings together expertise in veterinary medicine, epidemiology, livestock health, food safety, agricultural management, and European integration.
The meeting focused on the concept of the future pilot training programme. Its main objective is to identify key gaps in animal disease prevention and control, biosecurity, epidemiological surveillance, antimicrobial resistance, feeding, animal welfare, and food safety, in order to bring Ukrainian livestock products into line with EU requirements.
An important task of the next stage will be to identify stakeholders in order to adapt the pilot programme to the needs and challenges of the Ukrainian market. The stakeholder group is expected to include representatives of government authorities, universities, advisory services, farmers' organisations, and the private sector. Particular attention will be paid to specialists who can not only gain new knowledge but also implement practical changes within their own institutions and organisations.
The programme comprises several consecutive stages: identifying the problems and needs of the selected value chain; regular online consultations and workshops with representatives of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), the Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA), and the Swedish Board of Agriculture (SJV); a one-week training for the programme's key stakeholders in Sweden; meetings with the main stakeholder groups at NUBiP; and a concluding workshop in Ukraine or Poland.
The results of WP2:1 are expected to lay the groundwork for long-term Ukrainian-Swedish cooperation in the livestock sector. The programme's guiding principle can be summed up simply: healthy animals — safe food — competitive production integrated with EU requirements.