Dairy tankers pose safety risk

Dairy Industries International can reveal that tankers transporting dairy products may not be cleaned properly because of a lack of legislation, writes Richard Truman.
Traceability is increasingly a key issue in the dairy industry, but this is one crucial link in the dairy chain that is currently open to abuse. One source, who asked to remain anonymous, told us that a number of transport firms falsify tankers’ cleaning records, which are the only source of information dairies can use to check the history of a tanker.
He added that some firms are not interested in cleaning standards, only cost. This is particularly a problem where it is difficult to place responsibility. If, for example, a dairy processor sells product to a trader, the trader will then transport the product directly to its customer.
Here, a dairy trader’s customer may expect the trader to audit the tanker, while the trader will claim that the customer should audit tankers upon delivery. As a result, tankers in this situation are rarely checked.
The source claimed that another cause for concern are the ‘grey areas’ surrounding food transportation. Some animal products, such as tallow, can legally be transported in food tankers even thought they are not for human consumption.
Dairy tankers do not have to be cleaned out at specific food cleaning stations, so many tankers are cleaned out at chemical cleaning stations. This means dairy tankers are cleaned out at the same place as tankers carrying hazardous cargo.
Under the Dairy Products Hygiene Regulations of 1995, all tankers moving dairy products must be cleaned out every day, or dairy sites risk losing approval and having to close their site. However, these regulations relate more to the movement of milk from farm to processing site. Once a product leaves a processing site, it becomes the responsibility of the haulier and the processor’s customer.
A Food Standards Agency spokes- woman told us: “It is in the buyer’s own interests to check a delivery.” She added that hazards analysis critical control point (HACCP) rules also apply to the movement of dairy products. However, neither tank cleaners or hauliers need to be HACCP approved to get involved in transporting dairy products, and there is no other standard to adhere to.
According to Tony Fry, chairman of the National Road Tanker Cleaning Association (NRTCA), the problem is a “glaring loophole” in the UK dairy industry. “There are a range of cleaning stations with a vastly different level of service and varying standards,” he said.
He added that some food manufacturers do check cleaning stations so that they can guarantee the integrity of their product. He said that it is rare for haulage firms to check standards of cleaning stations.
The NRTCA represents 60% of UK cleaning stations. All its members that clean out chemical tankers adhere to a voluntary code. But Fry said lack of demand from the food sector means there is no equivalent standard.
Stuart Cornthwaite, chairman of the Road Haulage Association’s Milk Carriers Group, said that milk marketing boards and then Milk Marque were responsible for enforcing the cleaning of dairy tankers. When Milk Marque was disbanded in March 2000, no one took over the responsibility for checking the cleaning of milk tankers. Cornthwaite added: “Dairy companies have their own codes of practice and can check the cleaning records of tankers.” Many in the dairy transport industry are calling for self regulation to avoid stifling rules being brought in later on. One area where this has already proved successful is the seed and oil transport sector.
The Seed Crushers’ and Oil Processors’ Association has set up a code of conduct which logs all journeys in all tankers. This part of the industry is self regulated.
There has been some attempt to bring about a similar situation in the dairy industry. The Road Haulage Association and the UK Dairy Industry Association did start to produce a code of practice for the cleaning of milk tankers, but details were never finalised.