EU should support the dairy

Minister of Agriculture and Food Dr. Miroslav Naydenov join the concerns of his colleagues from Germany and France in connection with the protesting milk producers in both countries. This happened during the Informal Council of Agriculture Ministers of the EU in the town of Växjö, Sweden. The topic being discussed outside the agenda of the meeting, whose focus is climate change and its impact on agriculture. Naydenov minister insisted to his colleagues on the EU to take immediate measures to protect dairy farmers. „The farmers suffered heavy losses, which may cause great social unrest in all countries of the community,“ said Minister Naidenov.
He explained that pending the decision of the EU has already taken concrete measures in Bulgaria. Low-interest loans to dairy farmers to the State Agriculture Fund is deferred by one year. Minister Naydenov collected manuals of commercial banks in Bulgaria on 17 September to discuss funding and other dairy farmers in a crisis.
Naydenov personally took control of the construction of animal identification system to enable farmers to receive subsidies per animal. The minister ordered the National Veterinary Service (NVS) system to be operational by December 1. After that date it will commence payment of subsidies to the livestock. They will receive funding until 2011.
Already negotiated a deferral of two years with the European Commission to introduce European health standards on farms so that it can not be closed, said Minister Naidenov. Farms had to be closed by the end of this year. Currently only 3000 Bulgarian farms to meet EU requirements by more than 83 000 farms. Extension of the transitional period will enable dairy farmers to meet the health and hygiene requirements for production of raw milk as defined in EU legislation. After this transitional period to transmit its milk processing in dairies, farms will need to have met the requirements for sgradov facilities and equipment, personnel hygiene, animal health status and hygiene of milk yield to provide the necessary according to European quality standards of the extracted milk.

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