China has temporarily banned imports of British cheese, according to reports. The ban has taken place after China’s food inspectors complained about hygiene standards at an unnamed UK dairy, where they were reportedly dissatisfied with its maintenance and storage, raw milk transport temperatures and air sanitisation.
The ban applied to all cheese made after 1 May, which is the date a new food safety law came into effect on the Chinese mainland. In the run up to these new laws being implemented, Chinese officials visited a range of EU dairies.
UK farming Minister George Eustice is reported to be calling for restrictions to be lifted as soon as possible.
Chinese officials are now working with the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA is set to carry out its own compliance checks.
The problems are believed to have been found at just one British dairy, which does not currently export its produce to China.
China is placing a high priority on food safety following a series of contamination crises, including a large scandal in 2008 in which six children died from drinking contaminated infant formula.
Britain exports 11.5 tonnes of cheese to China each year, which is less than 1% of total British cheese exports. China’s consumption of cheese is rising rapidly however, so it is an important growth market for cheese producing nations.
