Rada backs EU standards in animal husbandry: humane treatment, limits on antibiotics

On Tuesday, December 16, the Verkhovna Rada adopted in second reading and in full an EU integration bill, No. 12285-d, aimed at aligning Ukrainian legislation on veterinary medicine and animal welfare with the EU acquis. The bill was supported by 285 members of parliament.

According to the explanatory note, the law will facilitate Ukraine’s economic and trade integration into the EU market of more than 450 million consumers. Lawmakers say this could become a strong catalyst for the further development of Ukraine’s agricultural sector and strengthen its position both in the EU and globally.

Currently, veterinary medicines and animal welfare are regulated by the Law "On Veterinary Medicine" adopted on February 4, 2021 (No. 1206-IX). As noted in the explanatory materials, that legislation focused on "approximation" rather than full alignment with EU regulation, leaving Ukraine’s rules only partially consistent with European standards.

Under the law adopted on Tuesday, the legislation is restructured and renamed the Law on Veterinary Medicine and Animal Welfare.

The law introduces a legal definition of "animal welfare" as the physical and mental condition of animals in relation to their living and dying conditions. It stipulates that animals must be free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition, physical and thermal discomfort, fear, suffering, pain, injury and disease.

The legislation bans keeping animals in conditions that prevent them from displaying natural behavior and requires that they be provided with adequate space.

It also introduces strict rules limiting the use of antimicrobial drugs in livestock. In particular, the use of antibiotics to stimulate growth, to compensate for poor hygiene on a routine basis, or for preventive purposes is prohibited, except in exceptional cases. The use of antimicrobials reserved for human medicine is also banned.

In addition, the law introduces a ban on the circulation of cat and dog fur.

The law will enter into force on March 2, 2026. Some provisions will have a transitional period until September 1, 2027, including those related to the creation of new state registers, such as a register of veterinary medicines.

• In 2024, former Polish president Andrzej Duda said Ukraine’s accession to the European Union would require a special agricultural policy due to the country’s powerful farming sector. A similar view was voiced last year by Robert Telus, then Poland’s agriculture minister from the Law and Justice party, who warned that Ukraine’s EU accession would pose a challenge for European — including Polish — agriculture.