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Beijing tightens quality regulations for dairy industry

China’s State Council issued new regulations to tighten quality control of the dairy industry in the wake of the tainted milk crisis, state media said yesterday, as a second lawsuit was filed by parents of a sickened baby.

Contaminated milk powder, laced with the chemical melamine, has been blamed for causing the deaths of four infants and sickening more than 54,000 others. More than 10,000 children remained hospitalized, the health ministry said.

Effective immediately, the regulations tighten control of how cows are bred, how raw milk is purchased, and over the production and sale of dairy products, the official Xinhua news agency said.

The measures promise more severe punishment for people who violate safety standards and quality control departments that fail to fulfill duties, it said.

Milk collection stations will now need approval from local authorities to operate, and dairy suppliers who violate standards will be blacklisted and named publicly, it said.

The wave of new measures is part of China’s attempt to establish monitoring and supervision over its dairy industry, where a largely unregulated supply chain has flourished.

The news came as Zhang Xiuwen, a migrant worker from Guangdong Province, filed a legal claim after his 11-month-old son was diagnosed with kidney stones, his lawyer Chen Beiyuan said yesterday.

The baby had been fed formula produced by Sanlu Group Co since his birth.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court has yet to accept the lawsuit, which is seeking US$132,000 in compensation, Chen said in a telephone interview.

He said he was also planning to file a suit against the Dairy Association in China for failing to supervise its members.

Chinese dairy suppliers have been accused of adding melamine — used in plastics, paint and adhesives — to watered-down milk to make the product appear rich in protein and fool quality control tests.

Earlier this month, parents from Henan Province filed the first known lawsuit against Sanlu, seeking US$22,000 in compensation for medical, travel and other expenses incurred after their 14-month-old baby developed kidney stones. The infant remains hospitalized.

The court in Zhenping County has also not yet decided whether to accept that case.
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