Ukrainian walnut seedlings are making their way to the EU

The President of the Ukrainian Walnut Association, Gennadiy Yudin, wrote on his Facebook page that gardeners from Romania and Italy are ready to buy Ukrainian walnut seedlings.

He noted that walnut, hazelnut, and almond seedlings are included in the list of 34 plants whose export from Ukraine is prohibited under the European Union Regulation (EU) 2018/2019.

"Speaking in chess jargon, we are in a stalemate: we can import foreign seedlings, but it is forbidden to export ours grown in Ukrainian plantations," the expert said.

The Working Group on Horticulture Development of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy has developed a Roadmap with an algorithm of necessary actions and steps to obtain permission to export Ukrainian walnut seedlings. The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection has appointed a responsible specialist to work with them.

"Permits for exporting seedlings to the EU countries in accordance with the European Union Regulation (EU) 2018/2019 and the procedure established by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are granted in person to plantations wishing to export their seedlings," explained Gennadiy Yudin.