From October 17, 2024, Ukrainian farmers can apply for special budget subsidies for keeping cattle, goats and sheep through the State Agrarian Register. This initiative is designed to support producers of livestock products in the conditions of a difficult economic situation and war.

This was announced by the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Vitaliy Koval. He emphasized that the subsidies will be an important step in preserving the national production of milk and meat, which is experiencing significant losses due to economic challenges, including rising production costs.

Under the terms of the program, farmers who own between 3 and 100 cows will be able to receive 7,000 hryvnias per head. For owners of breeding stock of goats or sheep in the amount of 5 to 500 heads, payments of 2 thousand hryvnias per head are provided. This program is aimed at farmers from all regions of Ukraine, with the exception of temporarily occupied territories and zones of active hostilities.

Applications for subsidies can be submitted through the online system of the State Agrarian Register. However, the ministry warns that the submission of applications will stop if the total volume of applications reaches the allocated budget. Therefore, farmers should be careful and submit their applications on time.

In addition to this initiative, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy recently launched the e-Livestock portal, which significantly simplifies the registration process for farmers engaged in breeding. This will make it possible to receive the necessary information and support from the state faster.

Reduction of the cattle population remains a long-term problem for Ukraine. As of May 1, 2024, more than 2.3 million heads of cattle were kept in Ukraine, of which more than 1.2 million were cows. War and economic instability have made the situation much more difficult for farmers, who face high costs of feed, fuel and electricity, which reduce the profitability of milk production.

The increase in the cost of fodder, energy carriers and the devaluation of the hryvnia complicate the situation even more, experts of the Association of Milk Producers (AVM) note. In addition, many pastures and agricultural lands are contaminated by landmines, creating additional problems for farmers.

The Ukrainian government is working to develop new support programs to help domestic milk and meat producers remain competitive in the European market and overcome the challenges they face in wartime conditions.