Dairy farmers in Kosovo poured hundreds of litres of milk outside the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development in Pristina to protest the temporary closure of one of the country's largest dairy processing plants and the suspension of milk purchases from producers.

The protest followed a comprehensive inspection carried out by the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency (AUV) on July 2. After the inspection, authorities ordered the factory to suspend production for seven days, while milk collection from local producers was also halted.

Saying they had been left without a market for their products, farmers gathered outside the ministry, demanding that the inspection results be released without delay and that the dairy plant be allowed to resume operations.

To demonstrate their frustration, protesters arrived with tanker trucks and emptied hundreds of litres of milk onto the ground in front of the ministry building.

The farmers also called on the government to halt imports of low-priced dairy products from neighboring countries, arguing that imported products are undermining local producers and threatening the domestic dairy sector.

Kosovo relies heavily on imported dairy products, with more than 70 percent of domestic demand supplied through imports, including UHT milk, milk powder, yogurt, cheese and butter.

Following the demonstration, Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development Minister Armend Muja met with representatives of the dairy farmers to hear their demands and discuss possible solutions.

The government has not yet announced when the suspended dairy plant will be allowed to resume production, while producers warned that prolonged disruptions could lead to significant financial losses across the sector.(ILKHA)