Serbian cattle farmer says 15 tons of milk spilled daily

Central Serbia Cattle Farmers Association chief Milija Palamarevic said that some dairies had stopped buying milk from farmers and warned that cheap milk was being imported. He added that the government was refusing to lower retailer margins. “No one wants to stop corruption and the dairy mafia that has destroyed cattle farming and now this is the end of every village and herd in Serbia,” he said.

Danas journalist Gojko Vlaovic said that subsidies in the European Union make it cheaper for Serbia diaries to import milk from the EU. According to him, big farms and importers, including some foreign investors, are more important to the government than small farmers.

Serbia faced shortages of milk several months ago, amid claims of exports to the EU on a large scale. The shortages were resolved with imports.