The dairy industries in Greece are ruthlessly eliminating small dairy farmers - who are responding with demonstrations - by constantly lowering producer prices for cow's milk in order to increase their profits. One of the major companies has announced that, as of 1 May 2009, the milk cartel is to stop buying milk from 120 small producers and will limit the distribution of fresh milk in favour of long-life milk, increasing imports.

By way of derogation from the requirement set out in Chapter II(III)(1)(a) of Section IX of Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004, the maximum plate count for raw cows' milk shall apply only where such milk is to be heat-treated and has not been so treated within the period of acceptance specified in the HACCP-based procedures put in place by food business operators.

be prepared from raw milk which, prior to heat treatment, has a plate count at 30°C below 300 000 per ml, where cow's milk is concerned, or from thermised or pasteurised milk which, prior to heat treatment, has a plate count at 30°C below 100 000 per ml, where cow's milk is concerned. Where the UHT milk treatment is applied by direct contact between milk and steam, the steam must be obtained from potable water and must not leave deposits of foreign substances in the milk or affect it adversely.

be prepared from raw milk which, prior to heat treatment, has a plate count at 30°C below 300 000 per ml, where cow's milk is concerned, or from thermised or pasteurised milk which, prior to heat treatment, has a plate count at 30°C below 100 000 per ml, where cow's milk is concerned;

be prepared from raw milk which, prior to heat treatment, has a plate count at 30°C below 300 000 per ml, where cow's milk is concerned; or from thermised milk as referred to under III(2)(a) which, prior to heat treatment, has a plate count at 30°C below 100 000 per ml, where cow's milk is concerned.

(9) Improvements need to be made to the poor conditions for supplying fresh milk products to local markets in the FOD, which at present come mainly from imports; this aim can be achieved on the one hand by continuing aid to develop cow's milk production within the limits of local consumption requirements as periodically evaluated under a supply balance, and on the other hand by ceasing to apply the arrangements for an additional levy on cow's milk producers laid down in Regulation (EEC) No 3950/92(4); the poor supply conditions typical of the outermost regions, which are completely different from those prevailing in the rest of the Com ...[+++]munity, and the need for a local production development incentive justify this derogation.