b"should focus on public relations and reas-surance, emphasizing that they offer seeds with a supplied by EU label.It is worth keeping in mind that the above-mentioned fears about Ukrainian agricultural products are heavily fuelled by propaganda. As the earlier explana-tions show, the widespread concerns about Ukrainian seeds in Europe aren't based on rational reasons but rather on emotional rhetoric. The fact that disproves this pop-ulism is that the European Parliament rec-ognized the equivalence of cereal and corn seeds back in 2020, and there is no official data that Europe has experienced any neg-ative effects from this decision in the past four years.A rather tangible illustration of European farmers' prejudice againstThe EU has confirmed the equivalence of Ukrainian oat, barley, rice, rye, wheat, triticale, corn, and sorghum Ukrainian seeds is the frequent cases whenseeds with EU requirements. Photo: MAIS CompanyFrench farmers are not satisfied with a label such as produced by an EU company.the audit in 2016, inspecting productionwill be constant, as they have to be renewed. They ask in detail in which country thesefacilities and fields, and eventually issuedSo, Ukraine has already started turning in seeds were grown. And to put it gently,certificates. Ukraine submitted its applica- that direction. they are very sceptical about products fromtion in 2018, and the Decision was adoptedThe Seed Association of Ukraine Ukrainian fields. in October 2020. The process took so long(SAU), leading the way in this process, Therefore, European companies needbecause activity slowed after the initial 2011maintains cooperation with the Ministry to continue explanatory campaigns, whichapplication and only resumed in 2016. of Agrarian Policy on adapting national will take several more years. In the mean- For the current equivalence Ukraineforage grass requirements to European time, a compromise on labelling needs tono longer needs to undergo an audit, as onestandards. Ukraine should primarily adapt be found. was completed in 2022. So far, Ukraine hasthe methodology for inspecting fields with fulfilled all its obligations for the equiva- forage grassesthe process is to meet the COMPARISON WITH lence of oilseeds, beets, and soybeans. Nowrequirements of OECD and EU. The next PREVIOUS YEARS that the European elections are done andstep is to submit an equivalence request to If we compare the equivalence processthe vacation season is winding down, thethe European Parliament. In the mean-for cereals and corn to the current one fornew parliament will have to vote on thistime, the requirements will be assessed oilseeds, beets, and soybeans, we see thatdecision starting in September. for comparability. As for the specific spe-the main difference is the duration as itcies of grasses mentioned, the focus will took about 10 years. Back in 2011, whenPROSPECTS OF be on forage, legumes and cereals. In the the process started, there was little infor- FORAGE GRASSES first place, clover, all types of alfalfa and mation about Ukraines seed industry, andGaining equivalence for Ukrainian seedsryegrass.production technology wasnt as advanced.for oil crops, sugar beets and soybeans is not However, that period marked the begin- the only issue in the seed sector that is cur- UKRAINES ROLE IN ENSURING ning of modern seed productions globalrently being tackled in Ukraine. RecentlySTABILITY AND QUALITYexpansion, attracting investors who sawUkrainian experts from the seed sectorThe high quality of Ukrainian seeds is con-business potential. Foreign companies camehave been pursuing a promising sector offirmed by the European Parliament's reso-to Ukraine because it offered cost-effectiveforage grasses and, in particular, producinglution of 2020 and the opinion of experts production with cheaper energy, skilledseeds of these crops. Europe is planning tofrom leading associations in the field, such labour at lower wages and quicker govern- expand the cultivation of forage grasses inas European seed association Euroseeds, ment approvals. the future: by the 2050s, there is a target ofSpanish association ANOVE, German Since Ukraine was viewed by Europe30% of those areas. Such crops are consid- association BDP, Romanian AMSEM, as a third-world country at the time, thereered as both feed for livestock and soil andItalian seed association ASSOSEMENTI. were many restrictions, which required aecosystem restoration. Even though theseEuropean customers emphasize that multi-stage audit. European experts beganplants are perennial, the need for their seedsUkrainian seeds always meet all phytosan-SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 47"