Who is destroying domestic production and why do dairy farmers have to pour milk away?

(Patria) - The crisis of dairy farmers in Bosnia and Herzegovina continues. Reduced procurement, lower prices, increased imports, decreased exports... These are the main reasons why farmers in RS are pouring away milk.

Liters and liters of domestic milk have been poured away again, because there is no one to buy it.

This time in Semberija and Laktaši. The hard work of farmers is no longer paying off. Without protection in their own market, and due to reduced procurement among other things, they are forced to pour away or give away milk. That the former would not happen was once promised by the Minister of Agriculture of RS, writes N1.

"The minister said she would not allow milk to be poured away. Milk was poured away at the end of December, I think the dairy farmer Čedo Borojević poured away 17,000 liters of milk at the end of December, meaning the ministry did not prevent it in any way. Farmers who took risks and could not sell their livestock and resolve surpluses through other dairies, to make cheese from that milk, they had to pour it away in the end, because for the last two or three days of surplus, people were simply trying to call people to give them milk for free, not so many people responded and the milk had to end up in the sewer," says Milorad Simić from the Association of Dairy Farmers of RS.

On the other hand, the situation in the Federation of BiH is more stable. Although it was said that procurement quantities would be reduced from March 1, this problem seems to have been resolved.

"The relevant federal minister Hrnjić and Prime Minister Nikšić intervened through the MI99 dairy, which is the only one in BiH with a milk drying plant. It converts liquid milk into powdered milk, and they also promised funds to carry out this milk drying in order to reduce existing stock quantities, and this should start on March 1, or rather on Tuesday after the holiday," points out Ermin Veladžić from the Association of Producers of Milk and Meat of the Una-Sana Canton.

Nevertheless, dairy farmers agree that the main problem is not the surplus of domestic production, but increased imports. In January alone, 800,000 liters of milk arrived, while exports to Serbia have significantly decreased.

"Given that both Serbia and BiH have signed the CEFTA agreement which prohibits bans, it is free movement of goods, Serbia has found some ways to limit the import of milk from BiH, they have found some ways, they are not official, but according to the information we have, on an annual level, that export to Serbia has decreased by about 12 million liters, and precisely these 12 million plus 22 from the surplus produced in 2025 compared to 2024 have created these problems in BiH," emphasizes Emir Džafić from the Association of Farmers VI-MILK.

There is practically no export, and quantities are accumulating, warns the president of the Association of Farmers of FBiH, Nedžad Bićo.

"Buyers are canceling purchases, reducing prices, and at the same time, no one is doing anything, primarily I mean the Minister of Foreign Trade to reduce imports, because nothing is going to Serbia from us, and abnormal quantities of milk are coming from Serbia, so it is clogging our market and surpluses are appearing," he adds.

And while thousands of liters of milk are going to waste, the authorities are shifting responsibility. Meanwhile, dairy farmers are closing their farms and giving up production one by one.