Between 1st and 4th of October 2024, two groups of inspectors from the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP), representing the main offices from various regions of Ukraine, Kyiv, and the central headquarter, participated in a two-day training session “Pilot Inspection on Compliance with Legislation in the Field of Organic Production, Circulation, and Labelling of Organic Products.” This training took place at the organic enterprises Galeks-Agro PE and Organic Milk LLC in Zhytomyr region.
The training was organised at the request of the SSUFSCP and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine in partnership with the certification body Organic Standard, with support of Switzerland within the framework of the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP), implemented by the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL, Switzerland) in partnership with SAFOSO AG (Switzerland).
Organic Milk LLC, as a part of the Galeks-Agro group of companies, is a leading organic dairy producer in Ukraine. For over ten years, it has been producing certified organic products, solidifying its reputation as a reliable Ukrainian brand. The enterprise is also known as the first plant in Ukraine to produce organic dairy products from its own raw materials. Currently, the company manufactures and markets over 60 products both domestically and internationally, including milk, kefir, sour cream, yoghurts, various cheeses, sweet cream cheese with vanilla, condensed milk, butter, and a range of lactose-free products.
Oleksandr Yushchenko, co-owner and head of the Galeks-Agro group of companies, and Olena Stretovych, Director of Organic Milk LLC, graciously provided access to their organic enterprises for this inspection. They emphasised the importance of such a training as it exemplifies the collaboration between private organic businesses and the state in guaranteeing consumers high-quality organic products and ensuring full compliance with the organic legislation of Ukraine, which is a critical foundation for the complete implementation of organic law and the further development of the organic sector in Ukraine.
Oleh Osiian, First Deputy Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, personally attended the training, engaging with organic producers, state inspectors, and certification body representatives. He also handed out certificates to the participants, highlighting the significance of enhancing inspectors’ qualifications to ensure high standards of state control in organic production.
A total of 24 SSUFSCP inspectors successfully completed the pilot inspection, which focused on practical aspects of organic production control, specifically:
- Reviewing documentation and conducting a trial inspection of the enterprises’ production facilities, following the approved act on the results of a scheduled (unscheduled) state supervision (control) over the compliance by the operators with the requirements of the legislation in organic production, circulation, and labelling of organic products.
- Conducting final discussions on the inspection results and recommendations for corrective actions.
The training was led by leading experts from the Organic Standard certification body — Ivan Havran and Ruslan Bilyk — as well as Yuriy Ohlashennyy, Senior National Long-term Advisor of Organic Component of the Swiss-Ukrainian QFTP program.
The aim of the training was to ensure a high level of inspector preparation for fulfilling legislative requirements in organic production and labelling.
The QFTP program expresses its gratitude to Galeks-Agro PE and Organic Milk LLC for their important leadership role and for hosting the training at their facilities. This contributes to the development of organic production in Ukraine and supports the sustainable development of the agri-food sector.
