LRT © 2016

DOPESHEET

Lithuanian dairy farmers distributed milk for free on Tuesday blaming processors for keeping a high retail price despite buying milk considerably cheaper from producers.

Dairy farmers cooperative called Milk Flower brought 6 tons of milk and distributed it for free near Ministry of Agriculture in capital Vilnius. Some people left voluntary donations for a free milk.

Organizers say they get only 15 cents per kilogram from milk processors while the milk in retail market can cost 1 Euro.

The main objective of the demonstration was to drag attention towards the small portion of a retail price that is left for dairy farmers. It used to be bigger and farmers blame processors for taking the advantage.

“When people get milk for free here and when they see what is left for farmers they will probably raise question”, said organizer of the event Andriejus Stancikas.

Dairy farmers now get around twenty three percent of the retail price while several years ago it used to get around thirty four, according to analyst Albertas Gabsys from Lithuanian institute of agrarian economics.

Lithuanian milk sector was hit after 2014 when Russia declared an embargo and European Union eliminated milk producing quotas leading to an overproduction.

It is not the first demonstration urging the government to solve problems plaguing dairy sector. On March Lithuanian Milk Producers association staged a colorful protest. Thousands brought a cow’s skeleton in a car trailer.

Lithuanian government promised support for the dairy farmers and said it is making an effort to secure additional assistance from the European Commission.

SHOTLIST

Sound bite (Lithuanian) ANDRIEJUS STANCIKAS, Chairman of cooperative called Milk Flower: We all are consumers these days and when we go shopping we see a very different price. When people get milk for free here and when they see what is left for farmers they will probably raise question how the amount of money which was paid by consumer was distributed among processor, reseller and why so few are left for a farmer.

Sound bite (Lithuanian) a woman that took milk for free: Farmers are working hard I had some experience in this field and meanwhile prices in shops are unreal, so it is truly better to donate here directly.

Sound bite (Lithuanian) ALBERTAS GAPSYS, analyst from Lithuanian institute of agrarian economics: Talking about the structure of milk price in retail market it used to be that the farmers part was around thirty four thirty five percent in that price. Now it is twenty three percent among four market players. Those ten percent were taken by processors.

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