Lithuanian government to give €18m to dairy farmers

The Lithuanian government has set aside €18 million to support the country’s dairy farmers. They will start receiving the subsidy in early May.

“We hope that the government support will help the farmers to survive this difficult period,” said Agriculture Minister Virginija Baltraitienė.

“Members of cooperatives will get 10% more support that other milk producers,” she added.

Farmers will be entitled to €78.23 of support per cow, or €86.05 if they are members of a cooperative.

Lithuanian dairy farmers have been badly hit by a lull in global milk prices. They have insisted many farmers will not survive without any government support and staged a protest in Vilnius several weeks ago.

The Lithuanian parliament recently passed a controversial law setting the minimum price that processors must pay for milk, but the bill has been challenged due to procedural violations.

LRT