Temporary ban on UK cheese exports to China

UK cheese exports to China have been temporarily suspended following a recent inspection tour by Chinese officials, according to DairyCo.  The inspections took place to ensure all UK suppliers of dairy products conformed to the new Chinese Food Safety law due to be implemented from 1 May 2014.

However, it turned out that the dairy visited does not export products to China. Overall, the British industry exports more than 11 tons of cheese annually to the country.

Issues related to maintenance, air sanitisation, raw milk transport temperatures and chemical storage were cited as the reasons for the temporary ban. The ban will remain in place until all UK cheese plants exporting to China are audited by the local authorities. However, it does not apply to any products made before the new law comes into force.