Dairy farmers: They mock us, but we will not remain silent

Countless laid-off workers and another mass exodus from the country, lines of animals to slaughterhouses and the liquidation of dairy farms. Abandoned residential buildings – the next bank properties and overgrown agricultural land. This is what the future of dairy farms looks like now, which will be achieved within the next 6 months if the European Union does not immediately find a solution to the milk crisis in Latvia caused by the Russian food embargo. The association “Farmers' Council” and farmers are ready to defend the interests of Latvian farmers and expect the same from the Minister of Agriculture Jānis Dūklavas and his delegation, who will participate in the Council of Ministers of Agriculture of the European Union in Brussels tomorrow, September 5.

Ieva Alpa-Eizenberga, board member of the association "Zemnieku saeima" and owner of the farm "Robežnieki" from Salacgrīva municipality: "Yesterday I received information about my new milk purchase price and today I have to lay off my first employee. I know I'm not the only one. We have farms in Latvia that receive 0.17 euros for one liter of milk, which is well below cost. We demand that the Minister of Agriculture and his delegation, during tomorrow's meeting with the other European Union Agriculture Ministers, show a strong stance in defense of their producers and prompt action by the European Union, because we cannot wait. Words such as slaughterhouse and liquidation have already been marked in the near future of many farms. In addition, in farms, the owner is liable with all his property. In the event of liquidation, in order to fulfill our credit obligations, we will also lose our homes. Such thoughts are not only for me, but for all farmers affected by the Russian embargo. And at that point, we will also start organizing protests that may also affect other sectors, so that we can be heard and the situation understood."

Iveta Tīrumniece, owner of the farm "Kalna dambrāni" from Viesīte municipality: "My farm delivers milk to two dairy plants. One of them pays at the farm's cost price, while the other still has not announced the purchase price of milk, which is complete absurdity. If the purchase price of milk falls below the cost price, we have decided to sell the entire genetically high-quality herd, settle accounts with the banks and completely liquidate the dairy farm. Working with minuses, we cannot maintain a breed herd that must be given high-quality feed, while reducing the amount of feed, the animals simply die. I am a patriot of Latvia, but farmers are currently being mocked and I am not going to make money for others with my work. I would understand if the crisis were in all European Union member states and we all had to "tighten our belts", but this situation is only in the Baltic states. Unfortunately, we have the opposite. I have 29 great employees behind me, most of whom are young people with families, and I can't tell them what will happen tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or in a month. I hope... that we will be able to create an economic system where we don't have to beg for support or gifts from the poor."

Currently, the fact has occurred that milk purchase prices are starting to fall even below the cost price. The cost price of milk production is different on each farm, but the average cost price stated by the Ministry of Agriculture is 0.27 euros per liter.