Pork imports to Ukraine have risen to a three-and-a-half-year high

Imports of chilled and frozen pork into Ukraine in September exceeded 6 thousand tons. This is 31% more than imported in the previous month and is the maximum figure since January 2022.

The stimulus for increased import activity was both high quotations for Ukrainian pork and the exhaustion of quotas for duty-free pork supplies from the European Union, the association “Swine Producers of Ukraine” reported.

“Since this year the seasonal decrease in domestic pork supply coincided with the consequences of a reduction in the pig population in the country, prices for Ukrainian pork are noticeably higher and have remained at a stable high level for a long time. In contrast, the average customs value of imported pork in September decreased to $2.56/kg (-2.2% compared to August),” the report said.

They added that, since the absolute majority of such products come from the European Union, the exhaustion of quotas for duty-free import encouraged some operators to build up stocks of products before the forced “price increase” due to customs tariffs.

The Association reports that in three quarters of 2025, Ukraine imported 20.8 thousand tons of chilled and frozen pork for $53.2 million, of which only 142 tons were imported from Canada, while the remaining consignments were imported from the EU.

Therefore, further arrivals 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.

“If the pace of deliveries remains at the level of the third quarter of this year, the total annual receipts of imported pork will not exceed 35 thousand tons. In this case, this will be no more than 5-6% of the estimated domestic supply of pork, a quarter less than that imported in 2022 and 15% less than the figure for 2021. Therefore, the absolute majority of pork on the domestic market will continue to be provided by Ukrainian producers,” the Association noted.

At the same time, the total export of pork from Ukraine for the first nine months of the year exceeded 2 thousand tons, amounting to almost $6.2 million in foreign currency terms.

Hong Kong, the UAE, Bahrain and Malaysia remain the key trade directions. At the same time, work is underway to open a number of new markets – the Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea, etc.

Tags: Ukraine, pork, imports