Project

Dairy expertise

When the milk price is unacceptably low, the market support schemes set by the EU become effective. This aid is granted to the dairy sector, but can only be awarded if the quality requirements are met. For reliable monitoring, the preservation of knowledge and experience to perform analyzes is essential. The arrangements were dormant in 2010 and 2011, so this preservation could not be realized by regular audit work.

Objective

The retention of the knowledge and experience needed to perform the reliable analyses required for the European dairy support system: the support provided by this system is granted to the dairy sector, which consequently has a direct economic interest.

The objective of this project is to retain the RIKILT Institute for Food Safety's expertise in the chemical analytical quality control methods required for European dairy market support measures (for milk fats and powders). The organisation then needs to retain the infrastructure and expertise of the permanent staff required to scale up the analytical capacity by the deployment of additional laboratory technicians as the occasion arises. The resultant knowledge and expertise is also beneficial to the provision of national and international advice.

Project results

The project will result in the retention of the expertise needed to perform the analyses required for the European dairy market support system. The project will also provide an insight into the differences between the triglyceride profiles of retail pasteurised semi-skimmed organic, pasture and regular milk. The project will also provide an insight into the feasibility of detecting the addition of proteins not naturally present in milk by means of the methods employed for the European dairy support measures.


Publications