Food law breach leads to UK dairy industry scrutiny from the EU
UK - EU food safety officers are planning a detailed inspection of the UK dairy industry, threatening companies with fines and even closure if they do not come up to scratch.
13 October 2006
1 minute read
The move follows a decision by the EU Commission late last week to effectively shut down Bowland Dairy Products - a Lancashire-based curd cheese manufacturer - for what Brussels described as "persistent non-compliance" with EU food safety laws.
Problems with Bowland were first reported in June, following an inspection by the commission's Food and Veterinary Office.
"There was evidence that raw milk containing antibiotic residues, or contaminated with substances such as detergents and dyes, was being used to make curd cheese, as was out-of-date milk collected from retail establishments," said a statement.
"Bowland was also using mouldy and contaminated cheese, including floor waste, to vacuum-pack for sale." The commission says it alerted the UK authorities and demanded they immediately address the problems.
Source: fwi.co.uk
