June 6 2003, 13:53 APK-Inform

Ukraine's livestock sector will need 10-15 years to reach European level

An international conference for librarians of higher educational veterinarian institutions was held at Ukrainian Livestock Breeding and Veterinarian Academy June 5. Improvement of libraries is one of the stages of rehabilitation programme of Ukrainian livestock industry and veterinary, funded by EU.

The Europe's practical and financial assistance to Ukrainian livestock sector is limited only to training specialists. Funds have been allocated for establishment of a present-day information centre in the Academy and training of its teachers in universities of Germany and Netherlands. The European specialists don't see the way to raise Ukrainian cow-sheds and pigsties onto the European level, because, as they confess, they have still lots of job at home.

"I was not shocked [to see Ukrainian livestock-breeding farms]. We have the same problems in former GDR, where there used to be large farms and agricultural enterprises, which now need to be reformed and privatised", Professor of the Free University in Berlin Karl Zessin said.

According to the European livestock specialists, the two main flaws of the sector in Ukraine is practically full absence of mechanisation and of laboratory control on site. Without these, the Ukrainian meat and dairy business has no way into Europe, which is permanently concerned by murrain and anthrax.

The European Union would like to buy products in Ukraine to sell them at home, should these products meet all the quality requirements, Zessin said. And EU's requirements to food products are extremely high.

The European specialists say it will take Ukraine's livestock industry at least 10 or 15 years to reach the standards of West Europe.