Ukraine needs to more actively harmonize European and Ukrainian legislation in the field of pest control, without postponing this work until 2027, said Leonid Kozachenko, President of the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation (UAC), at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine.

"The European Union has norms and high standards that ensure not only the quality of products consumed by people, but also conditions of production, storage, transportation that do not pose a threat to human life. Everything that is prescribed in European standards should be implemented in Ukraine," he emphasized.

Kozachenko noted that Ukraine has been adapting European legislation for 17 years. Currently, 72-75% of the European directives have been implemented in the country. He expressed regret that the process has been delayed, and drew attention to the fact that Eastern European countries have coped with this task for a maximum of five years, while the Baltic countries have implemented European directives in nine months.

Kozachenko pointed out the inappropriateness of postponing the implementation of European legislation in the field of pest control to 2027.

He expressed hope that Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval, who recently headed the ministry and is getting acquainted with agricultural associations and the international agricultural community, will pay attention to the relevance of the pest control industry and its development.

President of the European Pest Management Services Trade Association (CEPA) Marc Aubry (Belgium) in his welcoming speech emphasized that the mission of the European pest industry, which unites representatives of more than 20 European countries, where about 10,000 pest companies operate, is to protect people in all aspects of life. It fully complies with the ambitions of the European community, so CEPA is a key player.

"The pest industry works every day to make the human ecosystem accessible to information and to guarantee its safety in production and in products," he explained.

Marc Aubry pointed out the need for Ukraine to implement the European standard CEPA - EN 16636, which provides for the certification of pest companies with the involvement of an audit certification body. He promised that CEPA would assist Ukraine in the implementation of the pest control system and the development of the use of this tool.

"Pest control is a branch of human activity, a holistic system of measures aimed at controlling the number of pests and protecting against their harmful activity - for people, animals, plants, and inanimate objects. This is ecology, agricultural markets, food. This is science, this is education. This is standardization and certification," explained president of Pest Control of Ukraine public union Hanna Kholostova.

She emphasized that the concept of "pest management" has long been used in the world, which provides for an effective, environmentally sensitive approach to pest control. It is based on common sense when using the most cost-effective means that have minimal danger to people, property and the environment. A major role in the European pest control regulation system is played by the regulation of the work of companies and legal entities that provide such services. The matter concerns the need for all companies to have an integrated pest control system, which provides for the minimization of the use of chemicals and reducing this service to preventive measures.

According to Kholostova, the global pest control market in 2022 was estimated at $22.5 billion. North America accounted for 51% of this market, Europe - 17%, the Asia-Pacific region - 17.2%, the Middle East and Africa - 9%.

According to Pest Control of Ukraine, there are 923 business entities in Ukraine that carry out cleaning, disinfection, and pest control. The capacity of the Ukrainian market according to foreign economic activity code 81.29, which includes pest control, is UAH 5.9 billion. At the same time, if the capacity of the pest control services market in the USA reaches $8.3 billion, in the European Union - $3.467 billion, then in Ukraine it can strive to reach $71 million. Speaking about pest control expenses in the context of the state per capita, Kholostova specified that in the USA it is $24.9, in the EU - $7.76, in Ukraine - $2.06.

At the same time, in the EU, pest control functions are delegated to industry associations that train specialists, issue permits for work and conduct certification. The state receives a list of certified companies from the industry association and maintains a corresponding register.

Kholostova also pointed out that, on the initiative of Pest Control of Ukraine, the draft qualification standard "Pest Control Technician" has already been developed. This is an instruction for a technician, which presents the knowledge and skills that a technician must possess and use when working at a facility. The next step will be the standard "Pest Control Manager", which describes the duties of a specialist supervising the work of a technician. The plans include the preparation and certification of the company itself according to the European standard EN 16636.

Deputy Chairman of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection Vadym Chaikovsky, in turn, reported that Ukraine, despite the war, is implementing all sanitary and biosecurity measures provided for by international treaties of Ukraine.