The Regional Secretary for agriculture and the Environment stated today in Brussels that the meeting of the European Council of Agricultural Ministers that addressed the crisis of the milk sector in the Community space turned out to be "a complete disappointment."
 
"In the Azores, we consider that this the last chance to take action with some useful effect," said Neto Viveiros. The government official spoke on the sidelines of the meeting, explaining that "in three months, the situation will be much worse if nothing is decided until then."
 
The government official also regretted that the European Union is not "aware of the extent of the problem and does not realise the fact that its severity can dramatically increase in the coming months when the effects of seasonal production will be felt harder."
 
According to the Secretary for Agriculture, "more than a production problem, what we are living at this time" is "a problem of market flow. In this regard, the Regional Secretary defended that "the first measure to be implemented" with utmost urgency "is to open the Russian market," insofar as its effects will be felt in the short-term.
 
 "What shocks the most is this inertia or lack of awareness of the dramatic dimension of this problem on the part of the EU and that will have to quickly change," said the government oficial.