Ukrainian cheese producers are losing market share due to increasing imports.

Arsen Didur, executive director of the Union of Dairy Enterprises, warns that large cheese producers in Ukraine may cease operations by the end of 2025 if imports capture 80% of the domestic market by then. Currently, 20-30 large and medium-sized enterprises, which employ 200,000 people, account for most of Ukraine’s domestic cheese production. If the situation doesn’t change, the share of imported hard cheeses will continue to rise, resulting in the loss of Ukraine’s cheese industry. This will lead to a decrease in farms and the number of cows.

“In January and February 2025, large national retail chains supplied 47% of domestic consumption with imported cheese,” Didur states.

In contrast, from 2014 to 2015, the share of imported cheese in the domestic market was only 11-15%. Ukrainians consume around 8,000 tons of cheese each month, with 3,000 tons imported every month, primarily from Poland. An additional 1,000 tons of cheese are imported illegally, without quality control and without paying taxes. Ukrainian producers generate 4,000 tons of cheese monthly.