Regulations on supervision of dairy products issued

In order to fully ensure dairy product safety, the State Council issued the Regulations on Supervision and Administration of Dairy Product Quality and Safety on Oct. 9. The new regulations, which consist of 64 articles arranged in 8 chapters and became effective as promulgated, are aimed to further improve the supervision system for dairy product quality and safety. They strengthen control over all links on the dairy supply chain, including cattle breeding, collection and purchase of raw milk, and production and distribution of dairy products. According to the measures, people who violate safety standards will be subject to tougher penalties, while quality supervision departments which fail to fulfill their duties will be punished more severely. As specified by the regulations, quality control departments shall carry out regular surveillance inspection, announce offense-reporting ways and inspection-related information, and make blacklisted law-breaking producers public. Related officers will also be punished if dairy product safety incidents occur and cause severe consequences or abominable influences. It?? required that raw milk and milk products shall meet the national standards on dairy product quality and safety. These standards shall include limits on pathogenic microorganisms, pesticide residue, veterinary drug residue, heavy metal and other substances harmful to human health, hygiene requirements on producing processes of dairy products, general methods and specifications for dairy inspection, quality standards for dairy product safety, and other contents considered as integral to national quality standards. In addition, the government will establish policy-supported insurance system for dairy herds. The government above province level shall make subsidies available to dairy industry, and encourage banks to give credit support to cattle breeders and dairy farmers' cooperatives.