„The problem is that our dairy farms are shrinking fast. Yes, we will have milk, we will have some ’mega’ farms – that is not my priority. It should be family dairy farms, they should be modernised and roboticised,“ Starkevičius told Žinių radijas on Thursday.
The minister-designate said he would work to ensure that milk prices and milk quality are fairly balanced, and that proper working conditions for farmers are ensured. The work has been started in this area during his chairmanship of the Parliament’s Committee on Economics, according to Starkevičius.
„We have started discussing this issue in the [Seimas] Committee on Economic Affairs and it will have to continue. I do not know if we will succeed, but retaining those industries that generate the most added value will be my priority here,“ the incoming minister said.
President Gitanas Nausėda appointed Starkevičius as agriculture minister and Aurimas Pečkauskas as health minister on Monday, signing a decree on the new Cabinet lineup put forward by the prime minister.
The two ministers-designate are to be sworn in by the Seimas on Tuesday next week.