Ministry of Agriculture: further help for the dairy sector, educational institutions can join the school milk program even during the school year

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 12. 12. 11:45

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The Ministry of Agriculture wishes to provide further assistance to dairy sector players in response to the developments in the dairy market. This expands the sector’s sales opportunities by allowing educational institutions to join the Kindergarten and School Milk Program during the school year, announced Minister of Agriculture István Nagy in his statement on Friday.

The Minister explained that in the usual procedure, in the school milk program, educational institutions and milk suppliers conclude contracts for the entire school year, however, in view of the current extraordinary situation, the amendment to the School Milk Decree may open the possibility for dairy product suppliers and educational institutions to conclude supply contracts during the year.

This fall, the Ministry of Agriculture already made it possible for new suppliers to enter into contracts already concluded during the school year instead of suppliers who may not be performing, but now this possibility is further expanded by so that new schools and kindergartens can also conclude contracts during the school year.

Similar to participation in the entire school year, the maintainers of the institutions will need to issue a call for tenders and conduct a selection procedure. The regulation is being amended. The measure provides additional flexibility in sales, which is both useful for the sector and for the implementation of the school milk program, he added.

István Nagy also mentioned that the government will spend 7.4 billion forints on the school milk and school fruit program in the 2025-2026 school year. In order to ensure the smooth operation of the school milk program, the Ministry of Agriculture is in constant contact with the Milk Interprofessional Organization and Product Council, and through them with all actors in the dairy sector.

The effectiveness of the joint work is demonstrated by the fact that – despite the economic difficulties – 10 dairy industry actors will provide milk and dairy products to children participating in school programs in the 2025-2026 school year.

Thanks to the program, students will receive approximately 7.6 million liters of milk and dairy products. A total of 2,777 educational institutions are involved in the kindergarten and school milk program, which covers 454,000 children this school year, which is more than 2.5 times the data for the 2010-2011 school year.