The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) will tighten checks on milk and dairy shipments entering Bulgaria from June 10, the agency said. The measure covers products from the EU and third countries, including raw milk, dairy concentrate, milk powder, whey powder and butter.
By order of the BFSA Executive Director, intensified monitoring is being introduced at Bulgaria’s entry points for every shipment of raw milk from the European Union and third countries. The checks will include laboratory analyses for total microbial count, an indicator of the cleanliness of raw milk, total somatic cell count, an indicator of animal health, as well as tests for inhibitors and aflatoxin M1.
Intensified monitoring will also be carried out for every shipment of dairy concentrate from the EU and third countries through laboratory analyses for total microbial count and aflatoxin M1.
For milk powder and whey powder, the checks will include analyses for salmonella, staphylococcal enterotoxin and aflatoxin M1. Each shipment of butter will undergo laboratory analyses for salmonella and listeria monocytogenes. Vehicles carrying the shipments will wait at the entry points until the results are received.
The order takes effect on June 10.
BFSA said the measure is being introduced to guarantee quality and safe raw material for the production of dairy products.
The decision was taken after an analysis of the results of intensified checks in May. The agency said 24% of the samples tested showed non-compliances.
This required additional measures for dairy products already manufactured, which led to administrative and economic difficulties for operators in the sector.
BFSA also said that, with the new measure, Bulgaria aims to prevent raw materials of deteriorated quality from entering the country.