Summary of the Results of Service Providers in the Dairy Sector Supported by Switzerland
Switzerland consistently supports Ukraine’s dairy sector, particularly through the Swiss-Ukrainian Program “Higher Value Added Trade from the Organic and Dairy Sector in Ukraine” (QFTP). To enhance the trade potential of small and medium-sized producers and processors of milk, significant attention is given to developing the service and advisory environment and facilitating access to knowledge and best practices. One of the outputs of the QFTP implementation is the strengthening of the capacity of public and private sector service providers and networks to promote the application of good practices, value addition and trade.
One of the formats of this support is the provision of small grants on a competitive basis to service providers in the dairy sector, enabling them to carry out their advisory activities, such as providing veterinary, laboratory, zootechnical, or other services, as well as disseminating best practices and knowledge. These competitions have been implemented six times by QFTP based on pre-announced themes and a selection procedure according to set criteria. As a result of the competition announced in the fall of 2023, 32 applications were submitted, of which 16 were supported.
The majority of accepted applications were under the emergency response category, with 7 projects implemented by service providers to support the recovery of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in regions most affected by the war. This work was carried out by companies such as “DAIRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM LLC”, “VETERINARY SERVICE CENTER PE,” “AVM 2 Consulting Center PE,” and “Uman Laboratories LLC”.
The DAIRY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DMS) team conducted a series of training, service, and advisory activities focused on diagnosing and treating mastitis in cows and herd management in the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, which included:
- Practical trainings ‘Gynaecological diseases of cows’ (16 April 2024 – Kashpero-Mykolaivka village, Mykolaiv region; 17 April 2024 – Novodmitrivka village, Kherson region), ‘Technology of animal husbandry, feeding and milk production’, ‘Technology of artificial insemination’ (25-26 April 2024 – Velyka Oleksandrivka, Kherson region), ‘Requirements for sanitary conditions’ (25-26 April 2024 – Velyka Oleksandrivka, Kherson region), ‘Requirements for sanitary standards of milk production and organisation of milk production’ (06 May 2024 – Dariivka village, Kherson region), ‘Prevention and methods of mastitis treatment’ (15 April – Kashpero-Mykolaivka village, Mykolaiv region; 16 April 2024 – Novodmitrivka village, Kherson region). Novodmitrivka, Kherson region);
- Provision of artificial insemination training services, which also included the purchase and transfer of two Dewar vessels and one Ecomilk analyser for the milk collection point. Farmers were also provided with plastic cans for storing substandard milk;
- Farm visits, consultations, sampling and testing of more than 700 milk samples in the laboratory of DMS LLC.
According to the survey results, farmers’ awareness of milking hygiene has significantly improved. They now better understand the importance of using individual wipes or towels for each cow, washing milking equipment immediately after each session, discarding the first streams of milk into a separate container, avoiding the direct collection of milk into the milk truck’s common tank, and prohibiting the sale of milk containing inhibitory substances or antibiotic residues.
These training activities have proven effective and practical for farmers, especially in frontline areas where there is a lack of qualified veterinary support, particularly for small-scale milk producers.
Experts from the “AVM 2 Consulting Center” (ACM2) also conducted practical visits to 24 milk production farms with a total of 4,452 dairy cows located in the target regions: Dnipropetrovsk region (10 farms, 1,476 dairy cows), Donetsk region (3 farms, 838 dairy cows), Zaporizhzhia region (1 farm, 190 dairy cows), Mykolaiv region (4 farms, 712 dairy cows), Odesa region (3 farms, 800 dairy cows), and Kherson region (3 farms, 436 dairy cows). Each farm received services for diagnosing the current state of their operations by specific areas (milking, feeding, and herd management) and consultations on improving and restoring milk production conditions. Service recipients were also provided with short-, medium-, and long-term plans for overall farm improvement. One pressing issue is the inaccessibility of pastures for grazing due to contamination with explosive devices and landmines.
Uman Laboratories LLC received funding for their project to provide laboratory services aimed at assessing the quality of disinfection of dairy equipment, water quality, and the effectiveness of dips used on farms against specific pathogens. The project involved 20 farms from various regions of Ukraine: Mykolaiv region (4 farms, 849 cows), Kherson region (2 farms, 603 cows), Zaporizhzhia region (1 farm, 200 cows), Dnipropetrovsk region (8 farms, 1,293 cows), Odesa region (4 farms, 927 cows), and Donetsk region (2 farms, 395 cows).
Among the challenges encountered during the project implementation, service providers highlighted the lack of awareness among farm specialists about the need to test swabs from milking equipment and the possibility of testing dips and disinfectants for effectiveness directly against pathogens identified on their farms.
The “Veterinary Service Center” (VSC) applied for participation in the competition for the first time, with three of their applications being approved, enabling them to implement regional projects in war-affected regions (Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, and Kharkiv regions) as well as in other regions, including Volyn, Poltava, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and Cherkasy. VSC service veterinarians conducted practical visits to 36 farms with 10,217 dairy cows in the target regions. The farms received professional consultation services on identifying the causes of mastitis in cows. During the visits, VSC specialists provided explanatory work and training for farm staff on the implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Throughout the project, 180 milk samples from participating farms were collected and analyzed to detect mastitis pathogens, with subsequent interpretation of the results, development, and selection of effective treatment protocols for cow mastitis on the farms. Detailed results of these studies can be found at the following link (in Ukrainian only).
Three projects were also successfully implemented by UkrMilkInvest LLC:
- “Safe and Quality Milk Production: The Experience of the Veterinary Service of the ‘Family Dairy Farms’ Project” included conducting two theoretical online seminars (“Optimization of Feeding and Increasing Profitability of Milk Production” and “Prevention of Diseases in Cows and Improving Milk Quality”), along with three on-farm demonstration sessions. The project also provided veterinary consultations on feeding, housing, reproduction, milking, and milk storage, with specialists visiting the farms directly.
- “Craft Cheese Dairy: Starting a Business from Scratch” involved organizing four online seminars (“Financial Plan, Profitability, and Payback Period of the Business. Start-Up Investments and Possible Sources of Funding”; “Business Registration and Obtaining Permits. Implementation and Compliance with the HACCP System for Food Business Operators. Choosing the Form of Accounting and Filing Reports”; “Selection of Technical Equipment for the Craft Cheese Dairy. Choosing and Zoning the Premises of the Craft Cheese Dairy”; “Fundamentals of Cheesemaking and Specifics of Brined Cheese Production. Sales Markets and Marketing”). A demonstration of the craft cheese dairy at the ‘Dairy Farm’ Family Farm was conducted, and documentation templates were prepared.
- “Improving Milk Production Profitability: Financial Management and Funding Opportunities” focused on raising awareness through online seminars (“Milk Production Mathematics” and “Funding Opportunities for Milk Producers”), followed by a demonstrative internal operational audit of a dairy farm. The audit focused on evaluating cow housing, hoof health, milking practices, reproduction, feeding, and analyzing causes and volumes of milk losses on the farm.
These projects were tailored to enhance knowledge and practical skills, addressing key challenges in dairy farming and helping producers improve their operations and financial management.
Laboratory and advisory services were provided to 16 selected small farms in Lviv, Volyn, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. These tests were carried out in the milk laboratory of the Lviv Agricultural Advisory Service. A total of 390 individual samples were examined and recommendations were made in accordance with the results of the testing.
As part of the project ‘Raising awareness of compliance with food safety and milk quality standards from producer to processor’, the team of Farmers’ Competence Centre LLC (FCC) chose the format of offline events, the main target audience of which were SME producers of raw milk, as well as representatives of processing companies and other service providers.
The first training took place at Dubnomoloko PJSC (21 February 2024, Dubno, Rivne region), and the second at Bratslav ALC (14 March 2024, Bratslav, Vinnytsia region). Both events brought together 91 participants representing 33 operators of the milk and dairy products market.
The main goal of the FCC project was to help market players improve their knowledge of the quality and safety of milk and dairy products. The key topics included compliance with the principles of food safety and quality control of raw milk, as well as the specifics of using the Dairy Module information and communication system as part of the Raw Milk Control Program (in Ukrainian only).
One application was supported under the theme of competition No. 1 ‘Participation in international trade fairs, export events with a focus on milk and dairy products, and food exhibitions to increase the awareness of the Ukrainian dairy sector in the global market and strengthen business-to-business cooperation’, namely from the analytical agency INFAGRO LLC. In joint efforts with the Union of Dairy Enterprises of Ukraine, the company held the XV All-Ukrainian Conference with International Participation ‘Dairy Business 2023’. The event was attended by 29 operators of the milk and dairy products market, which have 69 production establishments, and is a traditional platform for networking with service providers and suppliers of related materials, traders, experts, scientists and representatives of executive authorities. For more details, please see the release by the link.
Another application from an analytical agency focused specifically on the export potential of the dairy sector under Theme No. 2: Access to regular and up-to-date market information and provision of information and analytical support to help public and private sector actors in decision-making. In cooperation with the State Institution “Entrepreneurship and Export Promotion Office” , the state project Diia.Business export discussions were held and analytical bulletins were prepared, which are available in Ukrainian and English at the link.
In addition to supporting the activities of service providers, two trainings for service providers were organised as part of the QFTP activities on the following topics:
– ‘Practical aspects of application by small processors of the “Guidelines for compliance with the requirements of the legislation on safety and certain food quality indicators at primary milk production facilities and/or small milk processing facilities”, 10 June 2024, Lviv.
– ‘Compliance with legal requirements for food safety, animal health and welfare’, 17-18 June 2024, Uman.
Also, with the support of Switzerland, the Catalogue of Providers of Advisory and Consulting Services in Cheese Making was prepared and presented on 19 June 2024 by the All-Ukrainian NGO National Association of Agricultural Advisory Services of Ukraine (NAAASU). This is the second catalogue of this format, which complements the first Catalogue of Advisory and Consultancy Services Providers in the Dairy Sector, which was prepared earlier.
Given the importance of maintaining an expert and service environment for the development and trade potential of the dairy sector, improving the quality and safety of milk and dairy products, and recovering from the consequences of the ongoing war, the activities to support service providers in the dairy sector will continue within the QFTP and will take on new formats in line with emerging needs and challenges.
