The Council of the European Union has lifted all additional inspections for seeds of beet, sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean exported from Ukraine. This grants Ukrainian producers full access to the EU market and facilitates the export of these agricultural crops, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to the official statement of the EU Council.
According to the Council’s press service, on June 12 Ukraine was granted equivalence status with regard to field inspections and production standards for seeds of the four specified crops. The decision also applies to forage plant seeds produced in Moldova. The regulation will come into effect 20 days after its publication, which means in July.
The granting of equivalence status confirms that Ukraine’s national seed certification procedures provide guarantees for seed characteristics and inspection rules equivalent to those applied to seeds produced within the EU.
According to the EU Council, seeds of these crops grown in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will now be eligible for placement on the EU market. In turn, this allows EU-based companies to diversify their seed production regions. The new rules will also help ensure the continuous supply of high-quality seeds within the EU.
Ukraine submitted a request to the European Commission in 2022 to extend equivalence to seeds of beet, sunflower, and swede. In 2023, an additional request was made for soybean seeds. Since 2020, Ukrainian cereal seeds have already benefited from equivalence status.
The EU Council also noted that countries applying for equivalence have seed laboratories accredited by the International Seed Testing Association, which provides additional guarantees for the quality of inspections and seeds produced in these countries, as well as their compliance with EU legislation.
Meanwhile, starting from June 2025, the European Union has reinstated pre-war import quotas on Ukrainian agricultural products, which will remain in place until the end of the year under the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The quotas are calculated using the “7/12” formula, meaning they are proportionally distributed over the seven months from June to December.
The new restrictions apply to wheat, maize, barley, meslin, flour, milk, cream, and powdered milk. For other agricultural goods, such as poultry, beef, and eggs, the quotas are split further: 4/7 of the annual quota can be exported by September 30, and the remaining 3/7 from October 1 to December 31.
Analysts estimate that the return to tariff quotas with the EU will result in losses for Ukraine’s budget amounting to UAH 2.8–3.5 billion in 2025. A revision of the trade regime will only be possible starting in 2026.
Earlier we wrote that Ukraine loses wheat markets in Egypt, Tunisia, and Asia due to shift in priorities.