The UAC Deputy Chairman Mykhailo Sokolov took part in a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy, during which the issue of functions division between the Ministry of Economic Development and the newly created Ministry of Agrarian Policy was considered. The biggest discussion was around the issue of control over the State Food and Consumer Service. In particular, by enshrining in the Ministry of Economy the authority to formulate and implement state policy in safety and certain indicators of food quality sectors, which are carried out by the State Food and Consumer Service.

Expressing the position of the UAC, Mykhailo Sokolov noted that the State Food and Consumer Service should be subordinated to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

"In our opinion, the government and the parliament should work to solve and eliminate the mistakes that were made earlier, and not to create new ones. Indeed, the issue of combining various functions in the State Food and Consumer Service, including market surveillance and food security, arose when this was done, and that was a mistake. But this is no reason to make an even bigger mistake today. Therefore, the question is clear - it is necessary to return the State Food and Consumer Service (at least in the part of the functions that correspond to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy) to this ministry. In order not to generate new mistakes and not to create new conflicts, which will later hit all of us with a boomerang. After all, the vast majority of the functions of the State Food and Consumer Service belong to the Ministry of Agriculture,” Mykhailo Sokolov mentioned.

Agrarian associations unanimously called for the Ministry of Agriculture to be restored with the full functionality and powers that existed before its disbandment and accession to the Ministry of Economic Development. After all, the part of his powers dispersion among other state bodies will lead to confusion at the legislative level.

As for the powers to formulate and implement state policy in the field of safety and certain indicators of food quality, they should clearly remain with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy. After all, the policy in the field of food safety and quality is related to the export of agricultural products, in particular with the approval of export capacities.