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New Zealand government and dairy industry officials continued to reassure consumers around the globe Monday that New Zealand dairy products while denying claims they had delayed publication of tests showing traces of a pasture treatment chemical.
The two New Zealand makers of agricultural chemicals announced Thursday they had suspended sales of a product amid fears that the residues could harm the country's valuable international dairy trade.
Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients voluntarily suspended sales and use of Dicyandiamide (DCD) treatment for farm land until further notice.
On Monday, the Federated Farmers industry group said New Zealand testing standards were among the highest in the world.
"Residues of DCD nitrification inhibitors were detected, but the levels recorded were in the order of parts per million. These residues only came to light because New Zealand continually tests for and refines testing for impurities," said Dr. William Rolleston, Federated Farmers spokesperson on food safety.
"I doubt many countries test to the level we do, but once DCD was verified our consumers and trading partners were notified. We take this seriously, very seriously, and any suggestion otherwise is scurrilous," Rolleston said in a statement.
The last DCD based nitrification inhibitors would have been applied in the southern spring so it was most unlikely any DCD would be detected in products now coming off the production line.
"It is vital to remember that DCDs are considered safe and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise. We are here now because there is no internationally agreed acceptable level for DCD residues meaning the default becomes the level of detection."
"As farmers we know any detectable level presents a trade risk, no matter how small. Once verified the authorities and processors got on the front foot and it is concerning to see this now being criticized."
However, the main opposition Labor Party said the government had spent three months working out how to "sell" the news of the residues to the public before making the announcement.
Labor primary industries spokesperson Damien O'Connor said Primary Industries Minister David Carter knew about the issue in September, the same month dairy giant Fonterra discovered traces of DCD in New Zealand milk.
Both the government and Fonterra had to explain to consumers, farmers and outside investors why disclosure did not occur back in September, he said.
"If not, then New Zealand's reputation for transparency around food safety and investment issues remains at risk," O'Connor said in a statement.
"The whole saga would have been done and dusted if there had been a more open conversation from the beginning."
The opposition Green Party said media reports in the United States and China had questioned the safety of New Zealand milk after the DCD residues were revealed.
"Primary Industries Minister David Carter is banking on China and Taiwan setting a limit for DCD that is higher than the levels found," Green Party agriculture spokesperson Steffan Browning said in a statement.
"The Minister is relying on other countries to accept higher levels of chemicals in the food we sell them. We should be providing them with the clean products they want -- instead of crossing our fingers that they won't mind having chemicals in their food."
The Ministry for Primary Industries has said that only 5 percent of New Zealand dairy farmers have been using DCD, which affected a limited number of dairy products for a short time after its use.
The application of DCD directly on to farm land had promised to reduce nitrate leaching to waterways and greenhouse gas emissions from farming.
Exports of dairy products make up a quarter of New Zealand's total exported goods by value, and last year their total export value was 14.5 billion NZ dollars (12.11 billion U.S. dollars).
Milk powder, butter and cheese exports were up by 25 percent, or 184 million NZ dollars, month on month in November last year, according to Statistics New Zealand.
