Have the management instruments applied to the market in milk and milk products achieved their main objectives?
15 October 2009 by eub2 — last modified 15 October 2009 Milk production is of major importance in the European Union’s agricultural economy. More than one million producers supply 148 million tonnes of milk annually with an approximate value of EUR 41,000 million at the farm gate. The milk processing sector (producing mainly cheese, butter and drinking milk) employs around 400 000 people and generates a turnover of EUR 120,000 million. In this Special Report the European Court of Auditors reviews how effectively the European Commission has managed the market for milk and milk products since the introduction of milk quotas in 1984, with reference to the main objectives of EU dairy policy. The Court also highlights the most critical issues to be considered in the progressive deregulation of the milk sector, which was started in 2003.
