Bulgarian milk producers have threatened protest action on March 24 over the farmgate prices of their produce which they see as too low, BGNES reported on Monday.

Meeting in Stara Zagora, in southern Bulgaria, milk producers have also asked the prosecuting authorities to launch a probe of a suspected cartel agreement among milk processing factories.

The milk producers urged the government to halt tax-free imports of palm oil or impose a tax on those imports. Half of proceeds from the new tax could go to the budget of the Health Ministry, while the other half could be paid as a subsidy to cattle growers.

Palm oil is used by food manufacturers globally to enhance texture, emulsify the ingredients or, in the case of dairy milk, to increase its fat content.

Abolishment of milk quotas in the EU in 2015 and the indirect effects of the Russian embargo with more imports of raw milk from the EU have led to a decline in milk prices in Bulgaria, forcing less competitive producers off the market.