Hlushchenko Serhiy Mykolayovych

The first head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection, during whose tenure African swine fever spread across several regions

Serhiy Hlushchenko is a lawyer and economist from Sloviansk, Donetsk region, whose career is inextricably linked with regulatory bodies in the field of food safety and agricultural policy. He became the first head of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection in 2015–2016 — a newly established body that combined the functions of veterinary and phytosanitary control. Prior to this, he served as an advisor to the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine and later headed the legal sector of BRDO (Better Regulation Delivery Office).

Millions in economic losses

The consequences of Hlushchenko’s negligent work at the helm of the State Service resulted in millions in losses to the state budget. During his leadership, an epidemic of African swine fever spread across several regions of the country. The failed management of veterinary control during this period led to significant direct losses in the agricultural sector.

Despite this failure, Hlushchenko was nominated again as a candidate for the same post of head of the State Service — which the media described as an attempt to "push through" a scandalous official. Ultimately, he took the position of Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine.