Agricultural enterprises are facing requirements to undergo Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures for fuel storage, even when the fuel is used exclusively for their own needs. Such practices do not comply with existing legislation and complicate business operations.

The Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC) has sent an official letter to Oleksii Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine, requesting that this issue be addressed.

According to UAC, the practice of requiring EIA contradicts the provisions of the Law of Ukraine “On Environmental Impact Assessment,” as the storage of fuel for agricultural enterprises’ own needs is not included in the list of activities for which such a procedure is mandatory.

“Under the law, planned activities in the agricultural sector such as fuel storage do not require an EIA. However, the State Environmental Inspectorate, in violation of these legal provisions, requires agricultural enterprises to undergo EIA for fuel storage, even when it is intended solely for their own use — that is, in cases where the activity remains entirely within the agricultural sector,” is mentioned in the statement.

At the same time, the State Regulatory Service of Ukraine has previously confirmed the absence of a direct legal requirement to obtain such conclusions for fuel storage tanks, which is also supported by court practice.

UAC calls on the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine to regulate the application of EIA requirements for fuel storage by issuing appropriate clarifications to the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine and organizing a joint meeting with agricultural associations.