The outgoing European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski has said that Ukraine should focus on providing protein for the EU.

Other grains such as corn and wheat can be sold around the globe, but its market is limited in the EU.

He was speaking at the International Summit on Food Security in Kyiv.

The Commissioner said: “Ukraine should think about restructuring its agricultural production, focusing on oilseeds and protein crops, as the European Union has and will probably continue to have a deficit in these products.

“For example, the union imports significant quantities of soya from America, and Ukraine can, therefore, be competitive; firstly, given its geographical proximity, and secondly, considering that soya from Ukraine is not a GMO product, which matters in the union.”

The EU deforestation regulations will come into effect on 30 December 2025 and mean products from deforested land cannot be imported into the EU. A large amount of protein is imported from countries where deforestation takes place.