Jordan Guitton, a member of parliament from the right-wing populist National Unity party, is demanding that the French government comment on what he believes is the harmful impact of Ukrainian sugar and sugar beet imports to the EU, particularly France. Beet imports from Ukraine increased from 20,000 tons to 400,000 tons in 2022-2023 and then to 700,000 tons in 2023, causing prices within the EU to fall by 30% and directly affecting French producers.
“The EU not only fails to protect them but also grants permission to import beets that do not meet the standards that French producers are required to comply with,” he said.
Guitton mentioned the safeguards established for Ukrainian imports of certain agricultural products.
In turn, Ukrainian dairy enterprises complain about the dominance of imported butter, the import of which in the first half of October increased by 76% compared to the corresponding period in September. The main reasons for the rapid growth in imports are the shortage of milk on the domestic market and insufficient state support for the industry.