Farmers staged a protest today in front of the Ministry of Agriculture, demanding the resumption of milk collection after it was temporarily suspended four days ago.

The protest began at 1:00 p.m., with farmers arriving in tractors and other farming vehicles while continuously sounding their horns.

They then began pouring milk first inside the ministry's courtyard and later near the ministry building.

When the farmers attempted to move closer to the ministry, brief tensions arose between them and police officers. However, they continued advancing until they reached the vicinity of the building.

During the protest, they displayed banners reading: “The farmer is not the enemy,” “Don’t destroy our jobs,” “Don’t leave us without bread,” and “Our work, our right,” among others.

The representative of the Dairy Producers Association, Fidan Krasniqi, explained the reasons behind the protest.

“We have gathered in front of the Ministry of Agriculture as the Association of Milk Producers in support of our farmers, our members, milk collection centers, and all stakeholders because we are the producers of this country and we produce milk for this country and its people. For the past year, we have been knocking on the doors of state institutions, informing the relevant ministries about the situation in this sector and demanding measures that guarantee investment and the security of our products so that we can have fair competition instead of imports subsidized by Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and the entire region. You all see these products, yet we are blamed for why they are sold on our shelves at very low prices,” Krasniqi said.

Meanwhile, Kushtrim Tigani, one of the protesters, called for the publication of the test results regarding the presence of powdered milk.

The protesters later ended the demonstration and left with their vehicles. A meeting between the Ministry of Agriculture and the farmers is currently underway, and statements are expected after it concludes.