On October 17, 2025, the fourth Ukrainian Livestock Summit was held in Kyiv. The event gathered over 600 participants from livestock farms, processing facilities, equipment manufacturers, feed suppliers, veterinary product companies, government agencies, and research institutions.
This year, for the first time, the Summit, with the support of BIOTESTLAB as its exclusive partner, featured a special panel discussion titled "Unregistered and Counterfeit Veterinary Drugs: From Farmers' Risks to Legal Liability".
This topic generated significant interest among the event's participants and became the main focus of the Summit, demonstrating its relevance and importance for the livestock industry.
The speakers of this panel were the Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection (SSUFSCP), Serhiy Tkachuk; Ukrainian MP and member of the Verkhovna Rada’s Agrarian and Land Policy Committee, Dmytro Solomchuk; chief veterinarians of the “Chaika Agro” farm, Nazar Demidyuk, and “Yerchiki” farm, Mykola Taran; General Director of the Ukrainian Vetpromspilka Association, Vasyl Antonenko; and General Director of BIOTESTLAB, Oleg Grodzevich.
The panel was moderated by Yana Kazmina, Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.
The panel discussion began with a presentation by Oleg Grodzevich, General Director of BIOTESTLAB, who discussed the company's activities and current challenges in the veterinary drug market.
“Currently, BIOTESTLAB is the largest manufacturer of veterinary drugs in Ukraine, offering a wide range of veterinary products, which include vaccines, chemical pharmaceuticals, and disinfectants. Production takes place at the country's most advanced research and production complex, in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. We were the first manufacturer in Ukraine to receive GMP certification and plan to validate compliance with European GMP standards. This supports our leadership strategy of evolving from a local brand into an international one,” he noted.
Oleg Grodzevich stated that BIOTESTLAB exports products to over 20 countries worldwide, including the Persian Gulf states (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates), where strict regulatory standards are in place.
"Each drug goes through a complex registration process, proving that we are on par with global leaders in quality, efficacy, and safety. In Ukraine, however, we face competition not only from reputable manufacturers but also from a surplus of unregistered and counterfeit products. Moreover, Ukrainian producers operate under unequal, discriminatory conditions compared to imported products," he noted.
As an example, Oleg Grodzevich cited the results of a recent independent assessment of domestic disinfectants purchased in retail chains.
"Of the 11 samples tested at the State Research Control Institute of Veterinary Drugs and Feed Additives, only one met the stated composition: Virosan F, produced by BIOTESTLAB," he reported.
In summing up, the CEO of BIOTESTLAB noted that counterfeit products pose a threat not only to animals, due to ineffective treatment, disease complications, and the development of bacterial resistance, but also to people who consume animal products. Moreover, this means millions in losses for the industry and the state budget.
Following a speech by Oleg Grodzevich, CEO of BIOTESTLAB, the floor was given to Vasyl Antonenko, General Director of the Vetpromspilka Association, who presented a presentation on the EU's experience in combating counterfeiting and the state of the veterinary drug market in Ukraine.
Vasyl Antonenko noted that in 2022, the number of unregistered veterinary drugs exceeded that of registered ones. Today, the situation is even worse due to a moratorium on inspections and a lack of legal accountability. According to the Association's estimates, approximately 1,900 veterinary drugs were registered in Ukraine in 2022, while over 2,100 of them were sold without official registration.
"The primary cause of this problem is the absence of accountability, including criminal liability, for the production and distribution of counterfeit products, along with the lack of oversight due to the moratorium on such activities," emphasized Vasyl Antonenko.
In his speech, Vasyl Antonenko provided examples of criminal penalties for counterfeiting veterinary drugs. For instance, in Germany, producing counterfeit drugs can lead to a prison sentence of up to three years, which can increase to ten years under aggravating circumstances. In France, the penalties range from five to seven years. In the Czech Republic, offenders can face sentences of up to two years, or up to eight years in severe cases, along with fines that can exceed €800,000.
"The MEDICRIME Convention, which Ukraine has been a party to since 2011, requires member states to establish criminal liability for the production and trade of counterfeit medicinal products for both human and veterinary use. While Ukraine has introduced criminal liability for counterfeiting medicinal products intended for human use, unfortunately, there remains a lack of criminal liability for the counterfeiting of veterinary drugs," noted Vasyl Antonenko.
In his speech, Ukrainian MP Dmytro Solomchuk highlighted the serious risks posed by the lack of proper accountability for counterfeit veterinary drugs, which affect both Ukrainian producers and consumers. He also shared his opinion on how to ensure effective control over the circulation of veterinary drugs, the responsibilities businesses should assume in this process, and how to enhance the legislative framework.
"This issue requires systematic consideration by the Verkhovna Rada committees, which is what we will be working on," added Dmytro Solomchuk.
As Serhiy Tkachuk, Head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, clarified, in his opinion, the digitalization of processes and strengthening control over compliance with licensing requirements should become an important focus.
"Work is already underway to create a unified electronic registry of veterinary drugs, which will allow farmers to verify the legality of their products," emphasized Serhiy Tkachuk.
Chief veterinarians Nazar Demidyuk from “Chaika Agro” and Mykola Taran from “Yerchyki” farm shared insights on protecting farms from counterfeit drugs.
They highlighted that when choosing suppliers, they give priority to companies that have their own research and production capabilities and that are responsible for their products.
Their main recommendations include verifying the drug's registration, its market duration, available reviews on its use, and, if uncertain, checking its quality. Large manufacturers often have their own laboratories, while smaller manufacturers can rely on specialized laboratories. This helps them obtain objective information about the product's quality indicators and compare them with the declared composition.
The Ukrainian Livestock Summit is the leading national platform for discussing trends and development prospects in livestock farming, poultry farming, livestock processing, and feed production. Held for the fourth time in 2025, the summit included the International Feed School and the Livestock Expo 2025, where 45 companies supplying products and services to the sector presented their exhibits. For more information about the event, follow this link
Український тваринницький саміт 2025
We thank our industry colleagues and the event organizers, ProAgro Group Company, for creating a professional environment conducive to the active development of domestic livestock farming.