After the discovery of aflatoxin in feed for dairy cows, especially in corn and ready-made mixtures imported from Serbia to Republika Srpska, dairymen from Republika Srpska asked the competent inspection authorities for increased control in order to prevent further importation of contaminated food. Milorad Arsenić, president of the Association of Dairy Farmers of the Republic of Srpska, spoke. He stated that certain measures are currently being taken to keep the situation under control. Products that reduce the level of aflatoxin in food have shown good results, and on many farms there were no problems or the need to change the diet of the livestock.
However, Arsenić emphasizes that controls and activities at the border should be strengthened in order to prevent potential failures. The Association of Dairy Farmers appealed to the inspection authorities under an urgent procedure. They were asked to do everything in their power to prevent the entry of contaminated corn and ready-made mixtures from Serbia into Serbia. The association also asked the competent institutions for information on the measures taken after some suppliers were found to have increased levels of aflatoxin in the feed for dairy cows.
Inspection related to the presence of aflatoxin: “The most contaminated mixtures from Serbia”
So far, the Inspectorate of Republika Srpska has informed the Association that one shipment from Serbia, through an importer from Brčko District, has been declared unsatisfactory. Also, food analyzes were carried out on farms, which resulted in the discovery of two more cases of increased levels of aflatoxin. Dairy farmers suspect that most of the contaminated mixture comes from Serbia. At the same time, they point out that it is possible that the level of toxins in the raw materials was even higher before the preparation of the mixtures. They raise the question of how such food entered the territory of Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the first place.
In addition, the Association emphasized that, according to previous analyses, food produced on farms in the areas of Prnjavor and Derventa did not show the presence of aflatoxin above the permitted level. This year, the drought created favorable conditions for the increased presence of aflatoxin in corn. The most problems were observed in the Semberija region, where aflatoxin levels above the permissible limits were detected on several farms. The farmers reacted quickly and successfully remedied the problems.
The limit of the permissible level of aflatoxin in milk in the Republic of Srpska is 0.05 micrograms per liter. This amount is in line with European standards to enable the export of dairy products. The Association of Dairy Farmers previously requested an increase in the permitted level of aflatoxin in order to equal the standard in Serbia. But apart from that, it was also agreed to keep the stricter criteria that is currently in force.
Source: Farmer
Source: boljazemlja.com
