site.btaOver 90% of Bulgarian Dairy Producers Comply with Standards and Put Out Quality Products, Industry Association Says

Over 90% of Bulgarian dairy producers comply with the standards and put out quality products, Vladislav Mihailov, chair of the Managing Board of the National Association of Dairy Processing Operators (NADPO). He was speaking at a news conference held by the Association for Accessible and Quality Food and the NADPO in the BTA National Press Club. He added that of over 200 registered dairy producers, some break the rules.

According to Kamen Nikolov of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA), of 80 samples of dairy products tested by BFSA since the start of 2024, 17 were found to be deviating from some standards and only one contained non-dairy fats. 

Mihailov said that NADPO has been doing quality checks in parallel with those of BFSA since 2014: it takes samples and sends them to an accredited independent lab which is different from the one used by BFSA.

Bulgarian consumers remain among the poorest in the EU and many can't afford good-quality dairy products, the Association's head said. He added that quite a few go for higher quality and smaller quantity.

NADPO demands legislative changes to enhance sanctions for non-complying producers and set in place a tiered system of penalties: from a fine for first violation to delicensing.

The Association is also seeking compensations similar to those for farmers to offset the damage caused by some measures amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Mihailov explained that some producers are suffering from the import of cheap raw materials from Ukraine via EU member states, as well as of cheap dairy products from Poland.