Strong Criticism from Uruguay Dairy Sector on Juan Castillo's Speech

In a recent confrontation within Uruguay's dairy sector, Justino Zavala, a prominent figure fr om the National Institute of Milk (Inale) and a dairy farmer, expressed stern criticism towards Juan Castillo's recent comments at the Federation of Dairy Industry Workers (FTIL). Zavala stated, "He showed a notable lack of understanding of the sector's reality."

Juan Castillo's Statements

During his visit to FTIL, Castillo commented on the current state of the industry, suggesting that despite fewer workers being active, production has increased, implying a heavier workload on fewer workers and stagnant wages. Castillo questioned wh ere the profits from increased production were going.

Zavala countered these points, emphasizing that dairy production has been stagnant for the past decade, focusing on less labor-intensive products like powdered milk. He added that the wages remain among the best in the country.

Decline in Dairy Farmers

Furthermore, Zavala highlighted the significant drop in dairy farms over the past decade, which now sees almost 1,000 fewer farms than in 2014, impacting small to medium producers heavily while advocating for a united front between workers, producers, and the government for mutual benefit.

The underlying issue for most dairy industries, apart from a few major players, remains the scarcity of milk, leading to conflicts and closures, as noted in Zavala's statements.