According to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC), Ukraine exported 436,000 tons of poultry meat to foreign markets in 2025, a 2% decrease compared to the previous year.
The business association noted that despite a slight annual decline, current export volumes are 1% higher than the average for the past five years. The key consumers of Ukrainian products remain EU countries (30.6%), the Middle East (27.2%), and European countries outside the EU (22.6%).
According to analysts, total poultry meat production in 2025 amounted to 1,390,000 tons. Meanwhile, the industry is gradually recovering: the poultry population had grown to 192.3 million birds by early 2026 (+3%). The share of poultry in industrial enterprises is 64%, while in private households and small farms it is 36%.
“Growth is driven primarily by industrial enterprises that are investing in modernization and biosecurity, which allows them to maintain efficiency despite high feed costs,” the association explained.
A distinct trend of the year was a sharp decline in imports—to 46,000 tons, which is 73% below the five-year average. The UACB attributes this to increased market self-sufficiency and the expansion of domestic producers’ capacity, who are successfully replacing foreign products.
“The poultry industry is operating under pressure from economic and energy challenges, yet it maintains its production potential. The growing role of medium-sized and regional producers, as well as their investments in modernization, play a key role in supporting the domestic market and increasing exports,” the UCAB concluded.
Poultry meat exports from Ukraine in January 2026 amounted to 38.1 thousand tons, which is 6.1% more than in December 2025, according to the Ukrainian Poultry Farmers Union.
The industry association specified that in monetary terms, exports for the specified period decreased by 2.1% to $85.4 million.
“The growth in physical export volumes against the backdrop of a decrease in total revenue is a consequence of a decline in the export value of products due to a fall in world prices for poultry meat,” the Poultry Farmers Union noted.
The main buyers of Ukrainian products in January were the Netherlands (21.9%), the United Kingdom (11.8%), the UAE (9%), and Slovakia (8.2%). The share of EU countries in total exports was 37.3% (13.8 thousand tons). At the same time, in monetary terms, the European market provided almost half of the foreign exchange earnings – 48.7%.
As reported, in 2025, Ukraine reduced the physical volume of poultry meat exports by 1.8% compared to 2024, to 458.1 thousand tons, but foreign exchange earnings from its sale increased by 13.7%, reaching $1.15 billion. The main markets were the EU countries (in particular, the Netherlands and Slovakia), Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.
Poultry meat exports from Ukraine in 2025 decreased by 1.8% to 458,100 tons, while revenue for the year amounted to $1,149.1 million, which is 13.7% more than in 2024, according to the Ukrainian Poultry Association (UPA), citing data from the State Customs Service.
The industry association noted that 18.4 thousand tons of the total export volume accounted for export shipments of finished poultry meat products totaling $58 million.
“The growth in total revenue amid a decline in physical export volumes indicates an increase in the export value of products and favorable price conditions in foreign markets over the past year,” the UPA explained.
The main buyers of Ukrainian poultry meat in 2025 were the Netherlands (17.4%), Saudi Arabia (9.9%), Slovakia (7.6%), and the United Kingdom (11.9%). The share of exports to EU countries in total exports reached 30.6% (139.7 thousand tons). Thus, the countries of the European Union, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom continue to form the basis of external demand for Ukrainian poultry products, the APU emphasized.
The association explained the growth in export revenues, despite a slight decrease in physical export volumes, by an increase in average export prices and an increase in the share of products with higher added value.
In addition, Ukrainian producers are gradually reorienting exports to solvent markets, which allows them to offset logistics costs and maintain production profitability amid constantly rising production costs, the Poultry Farmers Association noted.
Ukraine has opened up new opportunities for exporting meat products to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, according to a press release from the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
According to the press release, Ukraine and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire have agreed on a veterinary certificate for the export of fresh, frozen, or processed beef and lamb meat and products, as well as a veterinary certificate for the export of fresh, frozen, or processed poultry meat and products.
“The opening of the first markets for the export of meat products to Côte d’Ivoire is another step in expanding the presence of Ukrainian producers in international markets. This is the result of consistent work by the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ukrainian diplomatic institutions, and relevant ministries, and is also a confirmation of confidence in the Ukrainian food safety control system,” said Serhiy Tkachuk, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
The agency emphasized that the opening of these areas creates new opportunities for Ukrainian producers and exporters of meat products and contributes to the strengthening of Ukraine’s trade and economic relations with countries on the African continent.
Exports to Côte d’Ivoire of fresh, frozen, or processed meat, as well as poultry products, beef and lamb, and products made from them, are subject to a number of established requirements. Before exporting, exporters registered in Côte d’Ivoire must obtain a permit issued by the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Animal and Fish Resources. Each export operation is subject to the mandatory obtaining of an import permit issued prior to shipment.
The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection has drawn the attention of exporters to the fact that the approved forms of veterinary certificates have already been published on the official web portal of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the section “Certificates for export from Ukraine” at the link: https://dpss.gov.ua/mizhnarodne-spivrobitnictv/veterinariya-ta-bezpechnist/sertifikati-na-eksport-z-ukrayini .
In Ukraine, in January-October 2025, the volume of cattle slaughter for beef in farms of all categories amounted to 286.2 thousand tons, which is 8% less than in the same period of 2024, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP).
The industry association specified that cattle slaughter volumes at agricultural enterprises decreased to 106.9 thousand tons (-3%), and at private farms – to 179.3 thousand tons (-11%) compared to January-October 2024.
The largest share (57%) of cattle slaughtered at agricultural enterprises was in the Kyiv (15.41 thousand tons), Poltava (13.33 thousand tons), Cherkasy (11.72 thousand tons), Vinnytsia (9.73 thousand tons), and Chernihiv (9.36 thousand tons) regions, according to the AVM.
Imports of chilled and frozen pork (UKT ZED 0203) exceeded 6,000 tons in September, which is 31% more than a month earlier and is the highest figure since January 2022, according to the Ukrainian Pig Farmers Association (ASU).
“Unlike last year, foreign supplies in 2025 picked up significantly in response to weaker domestic pork supply and higher prices, and in the second half of the year, average monthly imports of pork from abroad reached 2022 levels. At the same time, importers did not exceed the record figure of 6.6 thousand tons recorded in January 2022,” the industry association noted.
According to analysts, the stimulus for increased import activity was both high prices for Ukrainian pork and the exhaustion of quotas for duty-free pork supplies from the EU.
“Since this year’s seasonal decline in domestic pork supply coincided with the effects of a reduction in the country’s pig population, prices for Ukrainian pork are significantly higher and have remained at a consistently high level for a long time. In contrast, the average customs value of imported pork in September fell to $2.56 per kg (-2.2% compared to August). Since the vast majority of such products come from EU countries, the exhaustion of quotas for duty-free imports encouraged some operators to build up stocks of products before the forced “price increase” due to customs tariffs,” the experts explained.
The ASU stated that in the first three quarters of 2025, Ukraine imported 20.8 thousand tons of chilled and frozen pork (UKT ZED 0203) worth $53.2 million, of which only 142 tons were imported from Canada, while the rest of the consignments were imported from the EU. Therefore, further imports of pork from there will be subject to import duties: chilled — 12%, frozen — 10%.
At the same time, a number of importers are convinced that duties will not stop the flow of pork as long as it is economically justified.
“European pork prices have been weakening since the beginning of July and fell by 6% in September due to seasonal changes, increased domestic supply, and difficulties with foreign trade, in particular, China’s introduction of 62% duties on pork imports from EU countries. Therefore, according to some operators, the price pressure from these factors may offset the aforementioned increase in import costs,” the association emphasized.
At the same time, other players are convinced that against the backdrop of a significant reduction in domestic pork supply in Ukraine compared to last year, the pressure on prices from imports and the impact on the market will not be too critical. Thus, if the pace of supplies remains at the level of the third quarter of this year, the total annual imports of pork will not exceed 35,000 tons. In this case, it will account for no more than 5-6% of the estimated domestic supply of pork, which is a quarter less than in 2022 and 15% less than in 2021. Therefore, the vast majority of pork on the domestic market continues to be supplied by Ukrainian producers.
Higher prices on the domestic pork market somewhat slowed down the shipment of Ukrainian pork abroad in August and September, but the total export volume for the first nine months of the year exceeded 2,000 tons, amounting to almost $6.2 million. The key trading destinations remain Hong Kong, the UAE, Bahrain, and Malaysia, but businesses and government agencies are actively working together to open up a number of new markets, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, and others,” summarized the Ukrainian Pig Farmers Association.
