Agrarian legislation of Ukraine during period of martial law: trends and prospects for development

Abstract

The article examines the main directions of development of agricultural legislation of Ukraine at the beginning of martial law and ways to improve it. It is noted that during the martial law the main directions of agricultural policy and development of agricultural legislation of Ukraine were providing loans to agricultural producers under state guarantees, establishing logistics routes for the sale of agricultural products and maximum simplification of documentation related to food exports and imports of critical imports of commodities for farms rural areas. It is proved that under the martial law the state played an active role in overcoming the crisis in the agricultural sector, taking emergency measures to support agricultural producers and deregulate the legal regulation of agricultural relations through bylaws, which provided a rapid positive effect. In general, the Government has abolished the requirements for obtaining licenses and permits for most of these activities: instead of 600, 50 remain in force. It is very important that the state has not started «dismantling» market legal regulations and replacing them with administrative influence on participants in agrarian relations.At the same time, Ukraine is taking measures at the legislative level to deregulate agrarian relations, which are designed for both the martial law and the postwar period. Thus, on May 12, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the Law of Ukraine «On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine on Uninterrupted Production and Supply of Agricultural Products during Martial Law», which enshrines those measures of deregulation of economic activity of agricultural producers that proved to be effective. Obviously, national legislation will soon be «supplemented» by other legislative acts of the same direction. The conclusion is substantiated that the development of agrarian legislation of Ukraine in martial law necessitated the development of a new agricultural policy and the formation of its legal framework, in particular: legal incentives for the creation and operation of micro and small agricultural producers, especially farms, which in extreme conditions proved more sustainable, able to adapt to new conditions; legislative support for the reorientation of production and export of raw agricultural products to the supply of finished food products with high added value; development of legal support for land irrigation on the basis of modernization of reclamation systems; initiating the conclusion of an international agreement on guarantees of food security in the world, which would give Ukraine and other food- exporting countries the legal status of guarantors of food security in the world. Key words: agrarian policy, agrarian legislation, deregulation, food security.