DA lifts ban on milk product from Denmark

The Department of Agricuture (DA) has conditionally lifted the ban on the importation of milk powder from Denmark by leading drug company, Abbott Laboratories Philippines.

Agriculture Secretary Leonardo Montemayor issued a memorandum order allowing Abbott Laboratories to resume importation of milk powder from the Arinco Plant in Vidabaek, Denmark.

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) told DA and Bureau of Food and Drug Administration that it has issued a general certificate allowing the Arinco plant to resume production after a thorough inspection of the plant and corrective measures were undertaken.

The DA blocked importation of milk powder from the Arinco plant last July after it was advised by the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (DVFA) that milk from the plant was contaminated with components of lubricating oil and microscopic steel flakes.

Thus, Abbott Laboratories which distributes infant and toddler milk Gain, manufactured at the Arinco plant, was forced to remove its product off the market, particularly those that were manufactured from Jan. 3 to June 8.

Montemayor said the lifting of the ban is subject to conditions.

For one, Abbott Laboratories and other milk importers which source milk products from the Arinco plant are required to submit a certificate from an independent verification agency, proving the imported products were manufactured under hygienic conditions and are complying with the current EU legislation, rules and regulations. More importantly, the products should be guaranteed fit for human consumption.

Also, the only acceptable certification can come from reputable inspection agencies such as SGS International, Caleb Brett, Lloyd’s Register and Bureau Veritas Quality International.

The Philippines imports 99 percent of its milk requirements, 89 percent in powdered form.

Denmark is the country’s 14th biggest source, supplying the country with 278,845 kgs of milk in the first three months this year.

The country had a similar scare in the 1980s when the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Russia suffered a meltdown and radioactive waste contaminated dairy animals in the area.