China has lifted the import ban on New Zealand dairy cooperative Fonterra’s whey powder and dairy base powder, which are used as ingredients in the manufacture of infant formula.
The ban was imposed in August last year on the two products due to botulism scare.
When the ban was imposed by China, Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings had then said he was confident the suspension could be lifted within 48 hours, reported 3 News.
Following the the scare, China made precautionary product recalls and imposed import bans in various markets; however, the scare was a false alarm.
With the ban being lifted, Fonterra will be able to sell the ingredients to infant formula manufacturers.
The two products represent about 3% of the company's total exports to China.
Nearly 90% of the dairy products exported by New Zealand to China are from Fonterra.
During the ban period, China scrutinised all the dairy products of New Zealand. However, it did not affect the whole milk powder and the skim milk powder export. The import of the blended infant milk formula also remained unaffected by the ban.
Image:About 90% of dairy products exported by New Zealand to China are from Fonterra. Photo: courtesy of Fonterra Co-operative Group.
