Ukraine egg business wins access to EU market

The largest egg producer on the Eurasian continent has won access to export processed egg products to Europe for the first time.

Ukrainian firm Avangardco said its new Imperovo Foods egg-processing plant was expected to begin exports in October.

Avangardco owns a laying flock of almost 23 million hens kept on 19 farms affording it significant economies of scale. It is also under no obligation to keep hens in enriched cages to access the European market.

An analysis completed for Euwep, a body that represents egg producers in Europe, has previously suggested Ukrainian egg businesses could compete on cost for egg products even with current tariffs in place.

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Initially, the companies will operate within quotas, set at 3,000t of processed egg. A free-trade agreement between Ukraine has stalled but is set to be implemented from 1 January 2016.

A second egg producer, Ovostar Union, also became certified to export egg products earlier this year.

Chief executive officer of Avangardco Iryna Marchenko said: “The EU licence to export egg products provides Avangardco with the opportunity to enter new European export markets, in line with our strategy to expand sales into global markets.”