EDUCATION LEVEL OF DAIRY FARMERS IN KOSOVO

Sa？etak A study was conducted to assess the impact of farmers’ education on dairy farming knowledge, national food safety standards, animal diseases, and farm production practices. Farmers’ lack of awareness is likely a contributing factor to food standards not being met in most cases. The data are collected from 150 respondents randomly selected from farmers’ municipality database, in two regions of Kosovo (Gjilan and Ferizaj). The data were collected through face to face interviews and personal visits based on a structured questionnaire. Significant differences were found among farmers (higher level of education compare with primary education) in regard with food safety standards, animal diseases, milk yield, use of milking machine, milk cooling tanks, animal identification, farm register, feeding the animals according to the production level, etc. Awareness, teaching and training programs for dairy farmers can improve: animals feeding, cows’ milk yield, diseases control in animals and reduce the public health risk of milk-borne zoonosis. Also public and donor support schemes for farmers should be strongly linked to food safety standard implementation