Transylvanian farmers demonstrated, pouring milk into a digestion pit

(Photo: Pixabay)

More than a hundred members of the Association of Transylvanian Milk Producers (BOVICOOP) held a protest action in the settlement of Járaszurduk (Surduc) in Szilágy County, because from April 1, no processing company wants to buy the milk they produce. Daniel Frei, the president of the association that unites the producers of several Transylvanian counties, told Agroinfo that farmers across Transylvania are in a difficult situation. don’t spoil it. He explained that the farmers ask a small amount, 1.4 lei (108 forints) for a liter of milk, which barely covers their costs, but even then they cannot sell it. Meanwhile, you can buy milk in Romanian shops for between 5 and 15 lei per liter (384-1152). According to Daniel Frei, the government should find a solution to the untenable situation and mediate between milk producers and processors. He pointed out: the existence of many farms depends on this, as many milk producers cannot even leave the sector, since they established their businesses with EU support.

Milk turnover has increased

Based on data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS), the news portal Digi24 reported that milk consumption in Romania increased by ten percent between 2015 and 2020. The country currently imports 25 times more milk than in 1989. The largest amount of milk comes from Hungary, but Polish, Czech, German and Greek milk is also on the shelves of Romanian stores. Meanwhile, in terms of milk production, Romania ranks last at the EU level. According to the profession, the main reason for this is that the Romanian government supports farmers less than other European Union countries. According to Digi24, Romanian cattle breeders receive an annual subsidy of 73 euros per animal, while in Bulgaria it is 189 euros, and in other EU states it is several hundred euros, so the farmers there can also offer milk for purchase at a cheaper price.

MTI