The situation of small-scale producer dairy farming in Hungary

Vágány, Judit

Keywords: survey of small-scale producers, production of raw milk, quality

One of the significant subjects of our day and age is quality. The recent, serious food scandals - food label substitution, the BSE scandal, the fatal food poisonings caused by E. coli, SARS, the dioxin scandal, bird flu, and the paprika scandal – have increasingly placed the subject in the spotlight. Hungary ordered the legally obligatory adoption of the HACCP system in food production from January 1st 2002, which is still not mandatory in the production of agricultural raw materials. However, food processors are placing increasing pressure on raw material processors, primarily in the interests of being able, as suppliers, to credibly certify that their products (the raw materials specifically produced for food supply) do not contain foreign matter in quantities that may be harmful to health. Quality also has a key role to play in the 2007-2013 period. Those small-scale producers who are unable to meet the quality requirements will be left out of the markets, a fact that is supported by the results of the survey.