EUROPEAN AND UKRAINIAN TECHNICAL REGULATION SYSTEMS IN THE AREA OF ANIMAL PRODUCT QUALITY AND SAFETY: SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS

Abstract

The article looks at socio-economic aspects solutions for the problem of ensuring the safety and quality of animal husbandry products that is extremely acute in Ukraine at present. Considerable amounts of animal source foods circulating on the market in the country are falsified according to one or more parameters. Animal source foods contain palm oil, various stabilizers, enzymes, antibiotics, traces of heavy metals, toxic substances, veterinary drugs, etc. The safety control system used in Ukraine right now is based only on testing the final products and is inefficient. It does not promote the competitiveness of the Ukrainian animal husbandry products on the world market. Results. The authors hereof substantiated the need to utilize the current approaches to the animal products quality and safety assurance that are used in the European Union (EU) member countries and have proven their efficiency. The paper sets out the comparative analysis results related to the European and Ukrainian technical regulation system (TRS) in the area of animal products quality and safety. It is established that the last five years have seen the continuing functional approximation of the Ukrainian TRS to the EU and World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements. Still, it mostly concerns the TRS formation as a whole and is unrelated to the animal husbandry industry (sector). Originality. Problems are revealed that reduce the efficiency of sanitary and phytosanitary measures in the area of production and trade of animal products and feeds in Ukraine. The key aspects of using horizontal or process approach to ensuring animal products safety in Ukraine are revealed. The specifics of the current European animal products quality certification systems are determined that may serve as the prototype of the Ukrainian certification system. It is determined that Ukraine still lacks a developed mechanism for the agricultural businesses to be able to implement and support the prerequisite programmes (PRP) related to animal product safety. Yet, it has to precede the implementation of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (НАССР) principles by such businesses. Practical relevance. The paper indicates the causes of the Ukrainian legislation inefficiency in the area of ensuring animal product quality and safety. The study contains the ways of improving such legislation. We revealed the basic prerequisites for applying risk-based approach in the animal products safety government control in Ukraine. The study shows the results of the analysis of social and economic factors that cause the low quality and lack of safety of the animal products in Ukraine. It is proven that the problem resolution requires a comprehensive approach, which is not limited to the increase of state control efficiency and the successful harmonization of the Ukrainian technical regulation system with the European one.

Keywords

• product safety
• product quality
• animal husbandry products
• animal source foods
• technical regulation system
• sanitary measures