The Association of Milk Producers (AMP) initiated the issue of anti-crisis financial support for industrial dairy farms in Ukraine in 2026. Following the AMP’s appeal, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine officially approached the European Union regarding the possibility of financing a corresponding program.
The reason for the initiative was the critical situation in the sector. Over recent months, purchase prices for raw milk have been rapidly declining and have already fallen below the economically justified level, making production unprofitable.
The crisis is exacerbated by:
- limited export competitiveness of processing enterprises amidst the global dairy crisis;
- rising production costs due to the necessity of operating on diesel generators for 16 or more hours per day;
- difficult winter conditions for livestock management;
- a critical shortage of personnel resulting from mobilization, forced migration, and security threats.
The dairy sector is a long-term payback industry and plays a systemic role for rural areas: it is one of the largest employers, a source of tax revenue, and a producer of socially important food products.
In the appeal to the Ministry of Economy and personally to Deputy Minister Taras Vysotskyi, the AMP proposed expanding the special subsidy program to compensate for the costs of maintaining cows during the dry period. Such support was already financed by the European Union in 2022–2025 within the framework of the Emergency Project ARISE for micro and small farms.
The AMP proposes extending the program to all industrial dairy farms in Ukraine. The approximate volume of support is 160 euros per cow per year. Given the presence of 386.3 thousand industrial cows as of January 1, 2026, the total funding requirement is approximately 62 million euros.
"We have confirmation from the Ministry of Economy regarding the fact of the appeal to the European Union concerning the possibility of financing the program. And we very much hope for a positive decision—and it is important to receive it before the start of the spring sowing season. This will be an important signal for dairy farms not to abandon the sowing of fodder crops and not to reduce the number of cows. In the current conditions, it is extremely important to preserve the production potential of the industry and the people working in it," noted the General Director of the AMP, Hanna Lavreniuk.
The AMP expresses its gratitude to the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, Deputy Minister Taras Vysotskyy, and his team for their prompt reaction, open dialogue, and support of the initiative. Ensuring the continuous operation of the dairy industry is a matter of strategic resilience for Ukraine's agri-sector, preserving the industry's investment potential, and preventing a structural reduction in production, which would have long-term consequences for the national economy.
Press Service of the Association of Milk Producers
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