Resources and Barriers for Introduction of EU Standards in the Enterprises from the Dairy Sector

A great part of the milk processing enterprises have not managed to implement necessary reconstructions and to adopt the EU standards concerning the hygiene and food safety, environment protection and improvement of the labor conditions until the integration of the country in EU. It impels the stipulation of derogations in a two years period after 2007. The aim of the study is to elaborate the state of the milk processing enterprises and their resource security for the sake of efficient introduction of EU standards. The study is based on the interview method and works with 74 enterprises out of the sector. Besides, by the survey are interviewed predominantly micro and small enterprises from 10 up to 50 employees, as these entities represent 60% of the sample. The results from the study witness for: - very good awareness of the enterprises in relation to EU standards concerning three type issues - hygiene and food safety, labeling of the produced dairy goods and the issue of labor conditions; - availability of information barriers in relation to ecological requirements, labor legislation and certification following the internationally incorporated standards for management of quality and food safety, ecological norms and criteria for labor conditions; - greater impediments of the small and medium size enterprises supposing the providing of duly and complete information; - strongly restricted informational environment, pertaining solely to one source - Regional Veterinary Offices (RVO) - positive financial result generated from the activities of the majority of interviewed enterprises, leading to technological modernization in last 2-3 years; - small by size firms are more unstable in terms of financial matter compared with bigger ones. 44% out of enterprises with the personnel over 10 employee do not earn profit and are impeded to embark investments; - over 90% of the enterprises have special trained team or a person, which to handle the system for food safety. Consistently, an additional training of the staff is being implemented, as the costs and organization itself is more hampered mostly in small enterprises; The conclusion is that by introduction of EU standards in the sector, especially in micro and small enterprises in assumed short periods necessitates initiation of adequate measures from the State and public organizations for assistance in terms of improvement of the informational dissemination, organization of workshops and dissemination event, establishment of the services for consultancy and informational services at regional level.