The villagers of Shevchenkove phoned to the “hot line” of our newspaper with the questions that interested them mostly. In particular they stated that becoming the member of milk cooperative, organized with Konotop milk plant’s assistance, was encouraged. But there arise a lot of questions as of whether it is safe to conclude an agreement with the milk cooperative.
In particular, the villagers ask whether the cooperative’s members are obliged to pay any state taxes, if yes, which exactly and in what amount? If the villager joins the milk cooperative, so whom the cattle will belong to after the conclusion of such agreement? Will the ownership for the cows be transferred from the villagers to the cooperative’s property? And what about the young cattle? Will the calves from the cow become the cooperative’s property? Is the cooperative’s member derived of rights for state subsidy for young animals? Besides that, as we have been informed, other legal institutions also propose their services in respect of milk gathering on the territory of the district, as for example “Yaroslavna” cooperative, that delivers milk feedstock to the milk processing enterprise in Putyvl’ town (thus, the inhabitants have the right to choose on competitive basis, with what cooperative to cooperate). Are the agreements of such cooperatives similar? Having studied the citizens’ appeals to “VH” the editorial staff has come to the conclusion that the inhabitants of the district do not know even the basic questions concerning the conclusion of the agreement about the membership in the milk cooperative. So they applied with journalists request to “Konotop” Directorate of “Moloko-Kraina” APC (agricultural productive cooperative, which concluded an agreement for the delivery of milk with the Konotop Milk Plant Affiliate.
As the representative of “Moloko-Kraina” APC Roman Polyovyi specified during the meeting with the “VH” journalist, the cooperative was created in December 2010 and it worked in 15 regions of Ukraine. For work convenience its local representative office – “Konotop” Directorate rents the building and works on the territory of the milk plant. Due to the words of the association’s representatives, on the territory of Konotop district the inhabitants of Mel’nya, Kozats’ke and other villages entered the cooperative. At present time Konotop Directorate of APC counts about 1 thousand members of cooperative from Konotop, Buryn’, Krolevets’ districts, and also in Chernigiv Oblast, and they keep about 1500 cows. With Roman Polyovyi we visited Vira Molokova, the inhabitant of Kozats’ke village, who joined the cooperative on September 30, 2011, and asked her at what conditions she cooperated with the mentioned association. As Vira Illivna told, she kept two cows.
On the photo: Vira Molokova (to the right) with the cows and Valentyna Klinduh, the milk accepting inspector.
For concluding the agreement she filed a statement about entering to the cooperative, and also provided a package of documents, that included the personal passport, and also registration documents for the cattle (passport, working number of the cow, information about the state of health of the cattle etc.), the cooperative’s specialists examined the barnyard building and the conditions of keeping, that guaranteed the proper veterinary and sanitary state and prevented the animals from damage, were indicated in the agreement. After conclusion of the agreement the originals of documents were returned to the woman. In other words, as the citizens of the district ask, such documents cannot become the pledge for the cattle. Besides that, as it became known, the members of cooperative didn’t give the cattle to any other place, and they took care of the cows at their own mini-farms. Thus, the cattle are constantly taken care of by its owner.
- Different milk providers come to Kozats’ke village, but it is more profitable for me to cooperate with the cooperative, - Vira Molokova tells and shows the calculating documents, - I gather milk from my cows into cans and carry them to the cooperative milk tanker that comes just to my yard. The average amount of milk drawn at one milking comprises about 30 liters per day. During 2012 I produced 8400 kg of milk and received more than 16 000 hryvnias. Earlier in the association there were provided 5 % of cooperative additional payments, for this I was paid 540 hrn. more (it should be mentioned that 5 % additional payment was not stipulated in the agreement, and it was paid as an encouragement due to the financial possibilities of the enterprise, and it is not given since November of the last year – author). For the money, provided by cooperative in the amount of 300 hrn., there was made insemination of two cows, 400 hrn. I received for the rent of property. 80 persons on the territory of Kozats’ke village joined the cooperative. But due to the results of the first quarter I provided the largest quantity of milk, and I received a bonus for this in the amount of 300 hrn. In other words, due to the cooperation with the cooperative totally in 2012 I received 18 518 hrn., - stated Vira Molokova, checking the calculations, and added, - also cooperative proposes forages at the special prices, that are lower for 20-40 % than the market prices. I receive forages as rent fee for land shares from the local farm “Kozats’ka” AF LLC.
The inhabitant of Kozats’ke village, besides that she is the member of the cooperative, accepts milk from the members of cooperative about the village. Selectively and in special vessels she takes the “samples”, checks their quality, for this purpose, as she states, there is special equipment at reception office on the territory of Kozats’ke village, with the help of which she determines the content of fat, density, cleanness, acidity.
According to Iryna Gorbenko, the Head of “Konotop” Directorate, the members of cooperative (cattle owners) do not pay any taxes or duties – cooperative is a legal entity and pays all the necessary taxes and duties pursuant to the acting legislation. During the process of joining the cooperative there is concluded an agreement with the owner of the property for the rent of the cattle, during the action of which the leaser (cooperative) has no right to sell, pawn or misuse, thus, the change of ownership is impossible. As for young animals, it is strictly stipulated in the agreement that the animal yield that is born during the rent is the property of the lesser (owner). Pursuant to the Decision of the Cabinet of Ministers (the edition dated April 23, 2012 (No 342) the subsidy for young animals is paid to natural persons for keeping the young animals of the cattle, that have been born on their farm. Due to the fact that the cattle are kept at the farms of cattle’s owners, they have the full right to receive the subsidy for young animals, stipulated by the acting legislation.
Besides that the leaser (cooperative) undertakes to perform all the measures on raising the productivity of leased cattle, including paying all the expenses related to cattle insemination one time a year in the amount of 150 hrn. per cow, veterinary services – vaccination one time a year per one cow, examination for leucosis, tuberculosis, brucellosis, in particular it compensates expenses for examination for latent (subclinical) forms of mastitis (amount is not indicated due to the fact that the price of services can vary). The total rental fee for cow comprises 200 hrn. that is paid after one year of staying in the cooperative. Also cooperative grants interest-free loans for purchasing the highly-productive cows and milking units. Any of the parties has the right for early termination of the agreement, in particular the owners of the cattle have the right to leave the cooperative informing about it the other party not later than within 14 calendar days. As the jurist of “Konotop” Directorate of “Moloko-Kraina” APC has stated, agreement with the participants of general state cooperative is typical at the whole territory of Ukraine, but it cannot be of the same type as the agreements of other similar enterprises are.
