NULES of Ukraine and Swedish Partners Launch the «Healthy Livestock – Safe Food» Program
On September 8, 2026, the first meeting within Work Package 2.1 of the training program «Healthy livestock – safe food, animal production aligned with EU regulations» took place as part of the Ukrainian-Swedish 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 the Ukrainian agricultural sector, develop modern and safe production, and progressively align with European Union requirements.
Work Package 2.1 is coordinated by Emelie Pettersson Eaton from the Swedish Veterinary Agency (SVA). The Swedish part of the working group also includes Emelie Zonabend König from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), and Kristina Mattsson from the Swedish Board of Agriculture (SJV).
The Ukrainian side was represented by Volodymyr Tkachenko, Associate Professor at the Department of Veterinary Surgery named after Academician I.O. Povazhenko; Mariia Halaburda, Associate Professor at the Department of Animal Hygiene and Food Products 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 Foreign Economic Activity. The working group combines expertise in veterinary medicine, epidemiology, productive animal health, food safety, agricultural management, and European integration.
The meeting focused on the concept of the future pilot training program. Its main task 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 adapt Ukrainian livestock products to EU requirements.
An important task of the next stage will be identifying stakeholders to adapt the pilot program to the needs and challenges of the Ukrainian market. The stakeholder group is planned to involve representatives of public authorities, universities, advisory services, farming organizations, and the private sector. Special emphasis will be placed on professionals who can not only acquire new knowledge but also implement practical changes within their institutions and organizations.
The program includes several successive 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 key program stakeholders in Sweden, meetings with key stakeholder groups at NUBiP, and a final workshop in Ukraine or Poland.
The results of WP2:1 are expected to lay the foundation for long-term Ukrainian-Swedish cooperation in the livestock sector. The core principle of the program can be formulated simply: healthy animals — safe food — competitive production integrated with EU requirements.