Apply for approval as a testing laboratory for raw milk

If you want to operate an inspection body that carries out quality controls for raw milk, you need a license If you want to operate an inspection body that carries out quality controls for raw milk, you need a license.

Before the raw milk produced by farms can be delivered and sold to dairies or milk traders, it must undergo a comprehensive quality control by a so-called inspection body. Any inspection body wishing to determine the quality of raw milk requires a license to do so.

The delivered raw milk is tested for the following quality characteristics according to specified test procedures:

• fat and protein content
• Bacteriological quality (total bacterial count)
• Presence of inhibitors, for example antibiotics
• content of somatic cells
• freezing point

The quality test comprises the following steps:

• Sampling
• Transportation of the sample to the test site
• Quality inspection
• If necessary, the calculation of average values for each quality characteristic, which affect the calculation of the purchase price

The Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture, Section 2.1.3, is responsible for the approval of the inspection bodies.

The Lower Saxony Chamber of Agriculture, Section 2.1.3, is responsible for the approval of the inspection bodies.

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The testing body must be accredited with its testing procedures in accordance with the DIN standard by an authorized accreditation body.

In particular, the inspection body must be able to carry out such an inspection in terms of its expertise and personnel.

With its testing methods, it must participate in ring tests on the quality of raw milk carried out by the Max Rubner Institute (MRI) or the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL), insofar as the respective institution has requested the testing body to participate.

An appeal against the decision of the competent authority may be lodged with the competent administrative court.

After the informal application, the requirements are checked and the next steps are agreed.

The processing time depends on the fulfillment of the necessary requirements.

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