The Programme for Ensuring Milk Sample Identification is run by the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS) with the Ministry of Agriculture and the state enterprise “Pieno tyrimai”.
In the first half of 2016, nine cases were revealed compared to 13 cases in 2015 while 51 reports on likely falsification of milk samples were recorded in 2012.
Deividas Kliučinskas, deputy director of the SFVS, said one of the major infringements is when samples of the same milk are presented as milk by different producers.
He added samples for analysis of several indicators of the same milk are often taken from different batches of milk.
“It should be admitted that there are still cases identified when milk purchasers unduly rectify the identified irregularities and make attempts to artificially “improve” the quality of purchased milk,” said Kliučinskas.
“For example, this year, cases of milk falsification have been identified in the agricultural cooperative ŽŪK “Krosnos pienas” as many as three times, in the agricultural cooperative ŽŪK “Ėriškių pienas” twice.”
After identification of fraud, certificates of qualification of a milk purchaser are suspended for six months. If other requirements of milk purchase rules or legislation are not observed the certificate of qualification can be revoked. Milk purchasers who fail to rectify irregularities may be banned.