MP Llukarevska calls on minister Serafimovski: release the report on the “milk scandal”, citizens await transparency

In yesterday’s parliamentary session, SDSM MP Sanja Llukarevska persistently addressed the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Borče Serafimovski, demanding accountability for the lack of publication of the report related to what is now known as the “milk scandal”.

Llukarevska pointed out that for months, the public has been denied information about the findings of food controls, even though serious discrepancies have been discovered between what is declared on labels and the actual quality of certain dairy- and meat-based items. In her view, transparency and accountability have been systematically lacking.

She asked the minister what are the reasons for the delay and when will consumers’ wait end to know whether the products they buy meet safety and declared standards. “Do you remember the ‘milk scandal’ when the reality of the products did not match at all the promises on the packaging? A broad public debate erupted,” she said.

The MP recalled that 91 samples were taken from milk, its by-products and dried meat, of domestic and imported origin, to verify the accuracy of the declarations. The results showed alarming figures: some products that were supposed to have 20% milk fat contained only 1%, while being filled with significant amounts of palm oil.

The Director of the Food and Veterinary Agency (AHV), Oliver Milanov, had told the media that the institution hesitates to publish the names of the companies that committed these violations, due to the risk of lawsuits and other judicial implications. On June 4, Milanov promised that the list would be made public within the following week and that the analyses of meat products would be ready by Monday. “June is already gone, minister,” Llukarevska pointed out ironically.

In closing, she stressed that without this report it remains completely unclear whether food of poor standards is still on our tables and what long-term risks it may pose to public health.