According to her, the introduction of mandatory welfare standards marks an important milestone for the industry, but has also generated significant demand from farms for clarification and practical guidance.
“We have been moving toward these requirements for over 10 years, and today they are already mandatory. At the same time, we are receiving a large number of questions from enterprises: how to correctly interpret the regulations and how to implement them in practice,” she noted.
In response to this demand, a specialized course dedicated to implementing welfare requirements in pig production has been developed on the AgriAcademy platform.
“This course is not only about legislation. It is a комплекс of training materials and practical cases that help enterprises not just understand the requirements, but also implement them in real production conditions,” Yurchenko emphasized.
She also highlighted changes in approaches to verifying the qualifications of livestock sector employees. In 2026, a transitional mechanism is in place — the so-called “diploma based on experience,” granted to workers with relevant professional experience.
However, mandatory training at licensed institutions is expected to be introduced in the near future.
“Most likely, from next year, training will become mandatory. It is important that even today there are accessible courses with certification, including certificates with unique QR codes, which can serve as an effective tool for staff training,” she added.
Although the course is not currently mandatory, industry experts recommend it as a practical tool for adapting to the new requirements. The training is free of charge and available at any time.
The course is available at:
https://courses.agriacademy.org/courses/course-v1:FAO+PigWelfare+2026Q1/about