Import of plant protection products from abroad may be banned — even for personal gardens or allotments
Rules for the circulation of plant protection products in Ukraine may change significantly. In particular, individuals may be prohibited from importing pesticides from abroad, while products already authorized in EU countries could be admitted to the Ukrainian market through a simplified procedure. Additionally, it is proposed to create an open state register of such products, strengthen requirements for their advertising, labeling, and state control. The relevant bill has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada.
Ukrainians may be banned from importing plant protection products from abroad
One of the most notable innovations is the ban on importing or sending plant protection products by individuals. The document also stipulates that it will be prohibited to import products that do not have authorization in Ukraine or do not meet established packaging or labeling requirements.
These changes aim to strengthen control over the circulation of plant protection products and prevent products that have not undergone proper safety assessment from entering the Ukrainian market.
Rules to be aligned with EU standards
Current Ukrainian legislation on plant protection products is largely based on approaches from the 1990s and no longer meets modern European requirements. The adoption of the new law is intended to be a step toward harmonizing Ukrainian legislation with European Union law as part of Ukraine's EU accession negotiations.
The bill aims to create a modern, transparent, and scientifically grounded regulatory system for plant protection products that ensures a high level of protection for human health, animals, plants, and the environment.
Products authorized in the EU will be able to enter the Ukrainian market faster
The document proposes introducing a mutual recognition procedure for the authorization of plant protection products.
This means that products already authorized in an EU member state can be registered in Ukraine through a simplified procedure. Furthermore, a mechanism for parallel trade of such products is envisaged. According to the authors, this will reduce administrative procedures and speed up access to modern products on the Ukrainian market.
An open state register will be created
The bill proposes creating a State Register of Plant Protection Products.
It will operate as a single electronic information system containing information about all authorized products, authorization validity periods, conditions of use, established restrictions, and authorization holders. This is expected to make the market more transparent and allow easy verification of whether a product has official permission for use in Ukraine.
New rules for manufacturers and importers
The document comprehensively changes the approval process for active substances, authorization of plant protection products, amendments to authorizations, and their cancellation.
Specifically, manufacturers and authorization holders will be required to notify the competent authority of any new information that may indicate risks to human health, animals, or the environment. If new scientific data on the product's hazards emerge, its authorization may be reviewed, restricted, or revoked.
Additionally, the bill introduces data protection mechanisms, sets requirements for conducting tests and research, and proposes applying assessment procedures based on principles used in EU countries and aligned with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approaches.
Advertising and labeling requirements will change
A separate section of the bill is dedicated to advertising plant protection products.
Advertising must include the product name, authorization number and date, as well as a mandatory warning about the need for safe use and familiarization with the label before use. Compliance with these requirements will be monitored by the authorized plant protection authority.
The document also establishes new requirements for packaging, labeling, and accompanying information for the products.
Responsibility will be increased and large fines introduced
Bill 15362 also provides a new system of liability for violations in the field of plant protection products. The highest fines are proposed for placing plant protection products on the market without mandatory authorization or in violation of its conditions. In such cases, fines for legal entities may range from 60 to 80 minimum wages, and for individual entrepreneurs — from 40 to 60 minimum wages.
As of 2026, the minimum wage is 8,647 UAH, so the maximum fine for legal entities may reach 691,760 UAH, and for individual entrepreneurs — 518,820 UAH.
Fines are also provided for the use of unauthorized plant protection products, violations of parallel trade rules, packaging and labeling requirements, failure to submit mandatory information, obstruction of state control, and a number of other violations. For repeated violations, the bill proposes applying stricter liability.
Several laws will be amended and a transition period introduced
To implement the new regulatory system, the bill proposes amendments to several legislative acts, including the laws "On Environmental Protection," "On Advertising," "On Land Protection," "On Wildlife," and others. This aims to align current legislation with the new rules in the field of plant protection products.
At the same time, the transition to the new model will be phased. As stated in the explanatory note, six months after the law comes into force, the procedure for mutual recognition of authorizations issued by EU member states is planned to be introduced, allowing Ukraine to gradually integrate its plant protection product regulatory system with European rules.
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