OREANDA-NEWS. January 19, 2010. The State Committee for Standardization suggests introducing new technical regulations “Milk and Dairy Products” from 1 January 2011, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Standardization Viktor Nazarenko said at a session of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers.

The draft technical regulations are based on the food safety requirements of the European Union and Russian federal law “Technical regulations on milk and dairy products”. The technical regulation imposes safety requirements on milk and dairy products and also on their production, sales and market distribution. “The document is designed to ensure the necessary level of protection of life and health of people and environment, create the milk quality and safety system,” Viktor Nazarenko said.

The European laws impose more stringent requirements on several safety parameters. “This pertains to the contents of lead, aflatoxin. Apart from that, the requirements on the content of pesticides have been brought in line with the European norms. The range of controlled pesticides in milk, cream, curds, butter, and cheese has been expanded,” said Viktor Nazarenko.

For the first time the technical regulations impose the requirements on the content of residual quantity of pharmaceutical veterinary preparations in crude milk. These requirements are expected to come into effect on 1 January 2011. The new regulations introduce a new approach to the content of microorganisms in dairy products. It will also become effective on 1 January 2011.

“The harmonization of safety parameters with the requirements of Russia and the EU will provide the necessary level of consumers’ protection and create conditions for the export of Belarusian goods,” said Viktor Nazarenko. Before milk and dairy products go on sale, they should undergo the process of conformity assessment in the form of declaration or certification as is stipulated by the Russian laws. At the same time Belarusian economic entities can choose the most suitable options, whilst foreign companies that want to sell their dairy products in Belarus should verify the conformity by the certification only, Viktor Nazarenko said. It is the same procedure as the one used in Russia.

“This year should become the year of transition to the new technical regulations. It concerns government agencies, executive committees and companies. We have to work out the measures to implement this transition in the near future,” said Viktor Nazarenko.