Veracruz Dairy Farmers Protest Over Liconsa Collection Center Closure

Dairy farmers in the central region of Veracruz, Mexico, conducted a protest by spilling more than a thousand liters of milk outside the Secretariat of Government's offices in Xalapa. This action was a response to the closure of a Liconsa milk collection center in Naolinco, which had been receiving approximately 15,000 liters of milk daily from small producers.

The closure of the center, part of the federal 'Leche para el Bienestar' program, resulted from issues with the center's piping components. However, farmers argue that the suspension was executed arbitrarily and without prior notice, leaving them without a market to sell their milk.

Without the collection center, farmers are forced to sell their milk to informal intermediaries at a heavily reduced price of 5 to 7 pesos per liter, which is below their production costs. This situation threatens their financial stability, potentially leading to the premature disposal of cattle and abandonment of dairy farming.

Technical advisors and veterinarians in the area have raised concerns about the potential risk to the health and viability of livestock due to insufficient funds to purchase essential feed and maintain preventive health programs.

In response to the protest, a group of farmers initiated negotiations with government representatives, demanding either the immediate reopening of the Liconsa center or the establishment of alternative routes to transport milk to nearby processing plants.

The outcome of these negotiations is critical for the social and economic stability of the dairy sector in Veracruz, as farmers continue to seek solutions to the challenges posed by the closure.