This is the third extension in this domain granted to Romania by the European Commission.
Romanian farmers, producers and processors must take every step to ensure they are in line with the community hygiene requirements on raw milk, says ANSVSA president Radu Roatis-Chetan in a press release.
The Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health, a European Commission body, has said every producer granted a transitional period has met the requirements.
“As regards milk quality, considerable efforts have been made and progress has been seen, but the producers have requested an additional transitional period, until December 31, 2013, to improve the quality of raw milk and, therefore, the milk collection system and hygiene in milk cow farms and milk processing units,” says the press release.
According to a report presented by ANSVSA to the European Commission this summer, out of a total of 784,200 milk farms in Romania, which have 3,110,000 cows, about 540,000 (85%) have 1-3 cows, for a total of more than 930,000 animals.
Only 80% of the milk supplied by Romanian cattle farmers to processing plants is in line with European rules. ANSVSA estimated that, by the end of the previous deadline – December 31, 2012 -, about 19% of the raw milk provided to processing units would not meet the European quality requirements.