With the support of Switzerland within the Swiss-Ukrainian Programme “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (Quality FOOD Trade Programme, QFTP) the State Scientific-Research Control Institute of Veterinary Medicinal Products and Feed Additives (SCIVP) is conducting a series of online training courses on the determination of residues of antimicrobial substances /antibiotics and other inhibitors in milk.
Online training courses are conducted to raise awareness among all participants in the Raw Milk Control Programme (RMCP) and strengthen Ukraine’s capacity in the field of dairy product safety and quality. More than 450 participants took part in the events, including representatives of milk and dairy product business operators, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP), testing laboratories, higher education institutions, research institutions and other interested specialists.
The first session of online training courses on “The rational use of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products in animal husbandry and ways to prevent their entry into dairy products” took place on 27–28 November 2025.
On the first day of the training, Yuriy Kosenko, Deputy Director of the SCIVP for International Cooperation and European Scientific Integration, and Tetiana Garkavenko, Senior Advisor for the Dairy Sector Component at QFTP, presented the requirements of Ukrainian and EU legislation on the use of antimicrobial veterinary medicinal products. Viktor Muzyka, Head of the Research Department of Microbiological and Clinical Research at the SCIVP, spoke about the global problem of antimicrobial resistance and the harmonisation in Ukraine of Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1729 on monitoring and reporting of antimicrobial resistance in zoonotic and commensal bacteria in Ukraine.
On the second day of the training, Taras Stetsko, Head of the Pharmaco-Toxicological Research Laboratory at the SCIVP, presented approaches to rational antibiotic therapy in the dairy sector to the participants. Dmytro Yanovych, Head of the Research Department of Physicochemical Methods of Control of Veterinary Medicinal Products , Feed Additives and Biocides at the SCIVP, focused the attention of the training participants on the importance of observing the withdrawal periods for antimicrobial substances and antibiotics when using them in the treatment of cattle.
The second session of online training took place on 18–19 December 2025 and was devoted to the procedure for conducting tests for residues of antimicrobial substances / antibiotics within the RMCP.
Iryna Vysotska, Deputy Local Manager of QFTP, Dairy Sector Component Coordinator, together with Tetiana Garkavenko, Senior Advisor for the Dairy Sector Component, presented the legislative framework for the implementation of the RMCP and demonstrated the modernised version of the SSUFSCP’s information and communication system, the Dairy Module, which will soon be available to all users.
A separate part of the training was devoted to algorithms for action in case of detection of inhibitors in raw milk. Vitaliy Bashynskyi, Consultant of Dairy Sector Component, QFTP, presented in detail the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the actions of state / state veterinary inspectors and authorised persons in the event of reports in the SSUFSCP’s information and communication system about the non-compliance of raw milk with regard to residues of antimicrobial substances / antibiotics, and also explained the actions of food business operators in such situation.
Oleh Vasylkiv, Director of the Centre for Food Safety and Environment LLC, highlighted the practical aspects of internal control directly on farms, prevention of violations and reduction of the risks of inhibitors entering raw milk.
On the second day of the training, SCIVP quality specialist Olena Kaminska familiarised participants with the SOP requirements for raw milk sampling within the RMCP. Subsequently, together with Dmytro Yanovych, she presented the procedure for conducting laboratory tests for antimicrobial / antibiotic residues using screening and reference methods, as well as SOPs for sequential actions in case of non-compliant test results for residual amounts of antimicrobial substances / antibiotics in raw milk samples obtained by screening methods within the RMCP.
Both training sessions ended with lively discussions and exchanges of practical experience between participants, which helped to form a common vision for the further improvement of the raw milk control system in Ukraine.
The next session of online training is scheduled for 10–11 February 2026 and will be devoted to laboratory control of residues of antimicrobial substances / antibiotics and other inhibitors in raw milk.
