Estonia May Exceed EU Milk Quota Before It Is Abolished
The European Commission may fine Estonia in 2015 for exceeding milk production quotas.
Dairy production has been on the upswing, outdoing expectations. Some at home have even criticized the sector for exporting too much in the form of milk rather than products like cheese with more value-added.
Eesti Päevaleht is now reporting that if projections materialize, Estonia will have to pay the European Commission 10 million euros for the more than 30,000 tons of milk in excess of the quota.
"All signs indicate that in 2015, the last year before the quota is abolished, we will likely overrun it by 5-6 percent, if production continues to grow as it is right now," said Agriculture MInister Helir-Valdor Seeder.
"We plan to negotiate with the European Commission and investigate possibilities of amending legal acts and not implementing the fee for exceeding the quota."