Latvian farmers' organizations meet with the President of Latvia

On Friday, July 31, the association "Farmers' Council" together with Latvian farmers' organizations and Minister of Agriculture Jānis Dūklavas met with Latvian President Raimonds Vējonis to discuss the situation in the dairy sector.
The LTV Daily News story is available for viewing. HERE.

On July 31, together with other Latvian farmer organizations and the Minister of Agriculture, we met with the President of Latvia to discuss the situation in the dairy sector. The President pleasantly surprised us with his knowledge and comments on the dairy sector, as well as expressing his desire to see long-term solidarity in the sector. As a result of the meeting, we agreed on the main directions of action, which include:

• Promotion of dairy product exports;

• Development of science for the production of innovative and niche products;

• Support review of existing interventions.

"This is the first major, nationally significant challenge for President Raimonds Vējonis – to address issues related to the embargo, defending our producers and the interests of the entire country. We hope that the president, in cooperation with the leaders of European countries, will make a positive contribution by supporting the countries that have suffered the most from the embargo. Together, we must achieve a change in the European Commission's (EC) beliefs so that we can receive assistance and maintain production until the end of the year," Juris Lazdins, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Agricultural Society.

As the purchase price of milk continues to fall, the situation for Latvian milk producers is becoming increasingly critical. According to data from the EU Milk Observatory, the average European purchase price of milk in May was 0.3005 EUR/kg, while Latvian producers received an average of 0.224 EUR per kg of milk.