Danone dairies shut out Bulgarian producers

Major dairy producers, licensed to ship to the EU, have decided to stop trading with producers of sub-standard milk in case it should interfere with next year’s exports.

The companies, including Danone and United Milk Company, have stopped buying milk from Bulgarian producers. This is despite the fact that non-compliant milk farmers have more than 30 months to bring their business up to EU sanitation, veterinary and hygiene standards.
The dairy companies are now facing a possible milk shortage, which could bring about imports from Macedonia or the use of powder milk.
French-owned Danone was the first to shut out the milk producers with poor hygiene, ending its supply contracts with six companies in the Pernik region. Danone deals with around 100 milk suppliers in Bulgaria, buying around 40,000 tons a year.
The National Veterinary Medicine Service estimates that around 70 of Bulgaria’s 300 milk companies will survive the transition to EU quality standards. A total of 47 milk processors have already adopted the relevant EU standards while another 26 are undergoing modernisation. Non-compliant firms will be closed.