Increasing the importance of quality and safety of agri-food products in the formation of their competitive advantages is a modern trend. This problem is dynamic and has a multi-level, complex and systemic nature. This determines the relevance of developing a document that should contain directions for improving the agri-food products quality ensuring mechanism, as well as a set of priority measures for their implementation. Formation of an industry strategy for the agri-food products quality managing is proposed in the paper as one of the effective ways to implement a cross-cutting approach to solving the above-mentioned problem. The algorithm for developing the strategy, its structure and options for forming a set of measures are justified. Approaches to strategic development of quality management are proposed. That should be the basis of the corresponding conceptual document and a set of fundamental measures within the framework of its implementation, as well as institutional support and infrastructure in this sphere. Improvement of the available tools, increasing the effectiveness of its use, improving the branch industry methodology of quality management are the goals of the strategy. Ensuring competitive advantages of domestic agri-food products according to quality parameters, increasing sales volumes and improving the efficiency of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Belarus will be the result of the proposed strategy implementation.

Global vegetable oil production has a steady growth trend, and there is a structural shift towards the industrial use of oil and fat products. The main types of oils are palm oil, rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and soybean oil, and the largest global players include exporting countries and several importing countries, including India and China. The Russian Federation is the largest global producer and exporter of sunflower oil, but it has a small share in global exports of soybean and rapeseed oils. At the same time, the importance of Russian oil imports in China and India is growing. The growth in the production of vegetable oil in Russia is due to the increase in the area planted and the yield of oilseeds in all producing regions. However, there is a trend of increasing sunflower seed production in regions with lower yields. The processing of vegetable oil in Russia is concentrated in a small number of large holding-type organizations with an extensive network of factories located in various regions, which are leading in the export of products. It has been shown that in unfavorable geopolitical conditions, the logistics of sales by the main exporters of vegetable oil are changing, and Russia is increasing its exports to India and China, but at significantly lower prices. In the Russian market for oil and fat products, state regulation of prices in the domestic food market is increasing, and tariff and non-tariff measures for regulating exports are being implemented in foreign trade operations, which ensures the physical and economic availability of vegetable oils in Russia but increases the risks of foreign trade activities for exporting enterprises.

Modern scientifically based breeding programs are focused on the creation of varieties of agricultural crops characterized by high quality of products and stable implementation of the genetic potential of plants according to traits that determine yield and quality. Fibre flax is no exception in this regard. For the Republic of Belarus, this is a traditional crop that symbolizes not only originality and prosperity, but also human health. Fibre flax breeding in our country is of extensive experience and traditions of successful production of varieties with excellent consumer qualities. Only over the past 10 years, domestic breeders have created 17 new varieties of various maturity groups. Scientists of the Institute of Flax together with colleagues from the Institute of Genetics and Cytology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, the Belarusian Agricultural Academy and the Belarusian State Technological University have developed new methodological approaches for the assessment and selection of valuable genotypes based on scanning microscopy, electrophoresis and DNA marking. Based on the screening of varieties for decortication ability, dynamics, degree and uniformity of the flax straw preparation process, the expediency of using this method for assessing the selection material of fiber flax is substantiated in this paper. As a result of studying the samples in the nursery of selection variety according to productivity, aging dynamics, as well as uniformity of rake separation along the length of the stems, the Accent variety was created based on the genotype 40H4-3-2-3-2. Along with high productivity, the variety is characterized by good rake dynamics, uniformity of rake separation along the length of the stem, which, together with the physical and mechanical characteristics, ensures high quality of long fiber.

The family Thripidae has about 1 750 species of herbivorous thrips, of which about 230 phytophages with a wide range of host plants are registered in European countries. The areas of these insects are very extensive. Due to the rapid invasiveness, numerous populations are common to most countries and continents. Despite the quarantine measures, their area regularly increases. The paper presents the results of studies on the species composition and occurrence of phytophages of the family Thripidae in the conditions of vegetable agrobiocenoses of the Republic of Belarus. Crops have been identified – bulb onions, cabbage, cucumber of protected soil, characterized by the greatest variety of fringed-winged populations. For the first time in the republic the dominant species of thrips in industrial field agrobiocenoses – Thrips tabaci Lind. and in the conditions of cultivation facilities – Frankliniella occidentalis Perg., Frankliniella intonsa Tryb. were determined. Results of specific identification of phytophages of the Thripidae family are presented and the main distinctive morphological features of the sorts Thrips and Frankliniella are considered. Key features of morphologically close types are specified Frankliniella occidentalis Perg. and Frankliniella intonsa Tryb., prevailing on plants of a tomato and a cucumber of the protected soil, and Thrips tabaci Lind. dominating in onion and cabbage. Results of researches can become a basis for increasing knowledge of a species diversity of phytophages and reasonable implementation of actions for protection of plants.

Sowing qualities of seeds determine the potential of the initial development of plants at the initial stages of their ontogenesis. Currently, the main standardized indicators in the certification of batches of seed material, determining its economic suitability, are germination energy and germination. However, they do not allow to reliably predict field germination. The purpose of the research is to study the effect of storage duration on the sowing qualities of seeds of alfalfa varieties by a set of indicators, including the determination of germination, energy, uniformity and rate of germination, its index, as well as the dynamic process of seed germination. Analysis of the kinetics of seed germination at two temperature regimes – +10 and +20 ° C – revealed a general pattern: in all varieties, the maximum number of seeds germinated after one year of their storage. At a higher temperature background, the rate of seed germination after their storage for 1 to 12 years decreased by 35–62 %. Correlation analysis of the relationship between the energy and uniformity of seed germination after their storage for 1 to 6 years under the germination regime of +20 °C revealed a close dependence of these indicators (r = 0.882). The relationship of these parameter indicators against the background of seed germination at +10 °C was also high (r = 0.838). In accordance with the requirements of GOST R 52325-2005, the preservation of standard germination indicators in the seeds of the Vela variety was observed for 6.5–7.5 years, in the Voronezhskaya 6 variety – up to 7.5 years, and in the Pavlovskaya 7 variety – up to 8.5 years.

The aim of the research was to study breed characteristics and genetic markers that determine the survival rate of dairy cattle. Ways to improve the survival rate of dairy cattle at commercial dairy farms in the Republic of Belarus have been scientifically substantiated, taking into account the breed characteristics of genetic markers. It has been found that at the SE “ZhodinoAgroPlemElita”, with an average annual milk yield of 8,000 kg, the survival rate of Red dairy cattle over five lactations, 4.93 times exceeds the same value of their Holstein counterparts, with an increase in the average lifetime milk yield in terms of basic fat content by 7,267 kg of milk. A number of mutations causing the development of hereditary diseases have been identified in various gender and age groups of Holstein cattle, indicating the need for systematic genetic monitoring to control the spread of lethal abnormalities in the animal population. Systematic genetic monitoring of lethal anomalies will significantly improve the embryonic and early postembryonic survival of Holstein dairy cattle of domestic selection.

Industrial milk production technology is a technology that ensures the production of high-quality products at a minimum cost, that is, using as little labor and technical means as possible in the production process. Modern dairy farming is considered industrial if milk production technology is used with labor costs of no more than 2.5 people/hour per centner of product. This is achieved through automation (e.g., robotic milking machines, automatic feed dispensers) and labor optimization, which reduces costs per unit of production. Popular automatic milking systems include Lely Astronaut, AMR DeLaval, GEA DairyRobot R9500, BouMatic Robotics and Fullwood M²erlin. These units are equipped with robotic manipulators, sensors, cameras and algorithms for monitoring milk quality and cow condition. Industrial cow milking technology ensures compliance with milk safety and nutritional value standards (e.g., GOST standards or international standards such as ISO 22000), minimizing the risks of contamination and deviations. Widely used at large farms (e.g., in the US, EU or Russia) where livestock genetics, automated systems and precision feeding are combined. According to USDA reports, such technologies increase cow productivity to 8–10 thousand liters of milk per year while reducing costs. This technology reduces risks to animal health and the environment, and provides a stable income. Industrial methods of cow milking are 20–30 % more efficient than traditional farms in terms of cost price. This technology has evolved since the 20th century due to mechanization and digital innovation, allowing production to be scaled up for the global market.

In light of the growing prevalence of overweight-related diseases, an urgent priority is to develop effective, evidence-based preventive nutritional strategies aimed at reducing cardiometabolic risk. Vegetable oils, rich in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as such biologically active components as phospholipids, phytosterols, and vitamins, represent a promising component in dietary improvement programs. This study conducted a comparative evaluation of refined, deodorized rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and an optimized vegetable-oil blend called “Osoboe,” developed by the RUE Scientific-Practical Center of the NAS of Belarus for Food. Overweighted volunteers participated in trials designed to assess the nutritional value and preventive potential of these oils. Results showed that incorporating rapeseed oil into the diets of overweighted individuals led to statistically significant improvements in blood lipid profiles (reductions in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B), increased metabolic rate, and a reduction in the biological age of blood vessels. The “Osoboe” blend exhibited moderate anti-atherogenic activity, whereas sunflower oil produced no significant changes. These findings confirm the prospects of using rapeseed oil, and fat products derived from it, in diets for overweighted individuals, particularly within cardiovascular disease prevention strategies.