NRA, food safety agency start checks in dairy pricing

An investigation into possible cartel in the formation of prices for dairy products is requested by the Consumer Protection Association.

The reasoning is that the prices at which farmers sell the milk are low, electricity and gas have become cheaper, but dairy prices are not falling. According to the Commodity Exchanges and Markets Commission, the price rise in less than two years has been drastic.

In the case of cheese, it is 55% more expensive, yellow cheese is 54% more expensive and butter costs 30% more. After the advisory council on milk in the agriculture ministry, Kiril Vatev said that the ministry has no right to investigate a cartel in milk, but it can check how the added value in dairy products is distributed. To this end, an investigation has been launched by the National Revenue Agency (NRA) and the Food Safety Agency.

"Where competition suggests price reduction, it will be reduced. It cannot be administratively fixed by anyone. It is determined by the trader and when there is someone to pay that price, he keeps it. We are not allowed to investigate a cartel, but we can do a check on the distribution of value added along the food chain from field to table and this check is done in reverse order from the shops to the field down," said Kiril Vatev, Minister of Agriculture and Food.