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Ukraine's Dairy Alliance suspends cheese production

The Dairy Alliance holding company, one of Ukraine's major manufacturers of dairy products, suspends cheese production

KIEV, February 9 (Itar-Tass) — The Dairy Alliance holding company, one of Ukraine's major manufacturers of dairy products, suspends cheese production at the Piryatin cheesemaking plant (Poltava Region) caused by the ban on cheese supplies to the Russian Federation (RF).

The company's announcement made on Thursday says, "We have to suspend the cheesemaking process at the Piryatin cheesery as of February 9, and decline a considerable amount of milk which the plant purchased from farms and the population. At the same time, we shall carry on negotiations in an attempt to jointly settle the problem,   which is not quite clear to us".

The announcement points out that the company requested the partners that sell Piryatin-made cheese in the Russian Federation to hand back the specimens of cheese available  for an expert examination conducted by independent Russian laboratories. "The analyses confirmed that the entire produce is up to Russian professional standards of care.

The Dairy Alliance points out that the decision taken by Rospotrebnadzor (Russia's Federal Service for Supervision of Consumers' Protection and Welfare) has done a "considerable financial damage to the company and impaired the image of the upright producer", with the decision also having a negative effect on the situation on the home market.

"Ukraine's three major cheesemaking enterprises, which account for a half of Ukrainian exports to Russia have suspended their export. The Ukrainian market does not need such amounts of cheese," the announcement says.

On Thursday, Rosptrebnadzor chief Gennady Onishchenko ordered the removal from sale and suspension of cheese imports to Russia, made by the following three Ukrainian producers: Prometei (Chernigov Region), Piryatin and Gadyach cheeseries based in Poltava Region.

The Russian side stated earlier that a large amount of palm oil had been found in Ukraine-made cheeses. The accusation was refuted in Ukraine.