Ukrainian exporters press WTO for faster SPS approvals and clearer trade procedures
MHP and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine used talks in Geneva to push for more transparent sanitary and phytosanitary procedures that govern access for agricultural exports.
On May 12 at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, MHP vice-president for global affairs Mykhailo Bno-Airiian met WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to discuss regulatory, sanitary and phytosanitary barriers affecting agricultural trade. According to MHP’s account of the meeting, the focus was on how to reduce procedural friction that slows the entry of food exporters into foreign markets.
MHP and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine presented proposals aimed at improving the transparency, predictability and efficiency of international SPS procedures. Their concerns centred on practical issues that determine whether exporters can actually ship, including market-access approvals, audits, inspections and equivalence processes used to recognise another country’s control systems.
The main complaint raised in Geneva was the length and unpredictability of approval procedures. The Ukrainian side argued that in some cases market-access applications remain unresolved for years without a formal decision, and that these delays increasingly function as indirect trade barriers. In their view, that is no longer only a company-level commercial problem, but also a risk for global food supply chains that depend on more reliable and diversified trade flows.
The discussion also covered remote and hybrid audits, digital verification and more modern compliance tools for international food trade. MHP said such mechanisms could help accelerate procedures without weakening safety and traceability requirements. Another proposal was the creation of a regular high-level platform bringing together the WTO, the FAO, the World Organisation for Animal Health, governments and agribusiness leaders to address food-security and trade-procedure challenges in a more structured way.
MHP’s statement stressed that sanitary and phytosanitary requirements are a legitimate part of global food trade and are essential for consumer safety and trust between markets. At the same time, the company argued that some regulatory and SPS mechanisms can also be used in practice to restrict market access, which is why it is calling for more transparency and stronger international oversight where procedures remain stalled for long periods.
The issue is commercially important for MHP itself. The company describes itself as one of Europe’s largest poultry producers and runs a vertically integrated business that spans grain growing, feed production, poultry farming, processing and distribution, with exports to more than 70 countries. The release says the Geneva meeting continued a dialogue that began earlier in Davos, underscoring how important predictable market-access rules have become for Ukraine’s wider agricultural export strategy.