Government announces assistance for dairy producers

The Government will help Slovak milk producers, TASR learnt from Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in an interview on Tuesday. Fico reacted on the current situation connected with the low purchase prices of milk and the drop of dairy cow herds. According to the prime minister, Cabinet has already started to deal with this issue: "The (Agriculture and Rural Development) ministry itself doesn't have enough money for it, therefore we've started talks about the issue at Cabinet and I expect the finance minister along with the agriculture minister to submit proposals", said Fico. He stressed that Government assistance is strongly needed in this issue, as agriculture - and especially the field of dairy production - has great importance for society and the state. "This isn't only a matter of producing some food. It's a matter of employment in rural areas, land use ... it's a question of our traditions," said the prime minister. Fico doesn't expect much from Brussels in terms of coordinating help. "I don't think we'll get some help from Europe", he said. The prime minister also said that the help for milk producers - who have seen prices plummet since Brussels ended production quotas last year - will certainly influence state expenditures in other fields, such as the budget for the Slovak Army. However, Fico's opinion is clear: "Spend money on milk rather than on weapons".