Diving head first into milk

Activists from ActionAid Denmark dived into a milk-pool Tuesday the 27th at Nytorv in Copenhagen to protest against the EU’s agricultural subsidies and their damaging effects on poor farmers in Bangladesh.

By Sara Schlüter, photos by Laura Nørløv Nyby

27. September 2011

“I love my milk, but…” Such was the message, when 30 activists from ActionAid Denmark showed up at Nytorv in Copenhagen on Tuesday 27th of September. They brought several things with them. A large inflatable pool, a whole lot of milk, a huge banner (with the slogan: I LOVE MY MILK, BUT STOP MILKING THE POOR) and most importantly copies of the report ‘Milking the poor’.

It demonstrates how EU’s agricultural subsidies are making it possible for the Danish/Swedish dairy giant Arla to produce milk powder and sell it in Bangladesh at artificially low prices. This is unfair competition to local farmers, who are forced to lower their prices and are kept in a state of poverty.

- It was a bit hard to see, because I had milk in my face most of the time, says the activist Jonathan Bunch, who estimates, that there were about 200 people gathered to view the milk-party at it’s prime.

- We wanted to bring attention to the grotesque parts of the EU’s agricultural policies. And why not dive straight into milk in order to do it, he says and smiles.

Jonathan Bunch was dressed as the EU during the event, and was busy celebrating the EU’s milkparty with his fellows. But just as the great milk celebrations were reaching their lactose climax they were pulled from the milk pool by ‘food security-agents’, who quite firmly shut down the party.

ActionAid Denmark is hoping, that the new Danish prime minister, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, will be the world’s “food security-agent”, when Denmark assumes the presidency of the EU and heads the final reform negotiations of the unions agricultural policies.

- It is extremely important that we do not destroy local agricultural sectors in developing countries with EU subsidies. Protection of these crucial sectors should be written in capital letters in the new agricultural policy, says chairwoman of ActionAid Denmark Trine Pertou Mach. 

Jonathan Bunch and the rest of the Activista-team promise that they are not nearly done with bringing attention to the milk problem.

You can read much more about the report at www.ms.dk/milkingthepoor