Speaking in Brussels on Monday, Portugal’s Agriculture Minister Capoulas Santos said the step is “a measure that the sector sees as very important”, and which will allow Portuguese consumers to “unequivocally” opt for milk produced in Portugal.
A protest organised by the European Milk Board was staged outside the Ministers’ meeting at the Council of the European Union’s headquarters.
Among the protestors was José Gonçalves, representing Portugal’s National Agricultural Confederation, who acknowledged the step is “a positive measure” but said “it will not resolve Portugal’s specific problem” nor the issues of the sector in Portugal, which has gone through successive crises since the EU decided to do away with milk quotas.
Kilos of powdered milk were purposely spilt by the participants as a means of protesting against the European Commission, which is progressively reintroducing tons of powdered milk that it had stored away in a bid to stabilise market prices.