According to data from their business association, Slovenian dairies recorded losses of 10.4 million euros in 2006. As reported by Ljubljana’s Delo in its business supplement on Monday, the largest portion of the loss pertains to Ljubljanske mlekarne, the largest dairy processor in the country.
The management of the dairies attributes the greatest blame for the "disastrous balance sheets" to the fact that the state did not secure a transitional period in this sector during negotiations for EU accession, as Poland, for example, managed to do. They have the most complaints about the business "drain" of dairies due to extraordinary production conditions that were introduced, as there was no transitional period for adjustment after entering the EU. Additionally, they believe that domestic inspection services treat their products more strictly than foreign products that appeared on the Slovenian market after liberalization with EU accession, and they also complain about the conditions imposed by the largest domestic retail chain and the costs associated with obtaining the "oval mark" for sales in the European market. (H)
