Kosovo’s Food and Veterinary Agency (AUV) has ordered the withdrawal of “SELECT MILK GR” dairy cow feed from the market after tests confirmed that it contained levels of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) above the legally permitted limit.
The product was manufactured by Serbian company “DE HEUS D.O.O.” and imported into Kosovo by N.P.T. “Haxhijaha” SH.P.K., based in Rahovec.
The recall applies to LOT numbers 0385010426007 and 0385020426001. Authorities have ordered the remaining quantities to be isolated and are tracing the product’s distribution to operators and farms where it may have been used.
Farmers and distributors who have any of the affected batches have been instructed not to use or distribute the product and to keep it separated until the relevant procedures are completed.
As a precautionary measure, the AUV has also imposed a 30-day temporary restriction on imports of corn-based feed concentrates and mixtures intended for dairy cows and calves that originate from or are produced in Serbia.
The agency has further stepped up inspections, sampling and laboratory testing for Aflatoxin B1 in corn and corn-based animal feed products.
According to an assessment by Kosovo’s National Institute of Public Health, aflatoxins can have toxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects. In dairy cattle, AFB1 can be converted into Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and transferred into milk, potentially posing a risk to the food chain.
