A dozen dairies signed a safety agreement with the Shanghai Dairy Association and the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration yesterday to set up a monitoring and supervision network for milk and other dairy products.

The network will cover the entire production process, including manufacturing, transport and sales. If the trial proves successful, a nationwide network will be created for the dairy industry.

"In addition to companies showing self discipline, the government and association will give professional direction and send experts to do research and perform inspections from time to time," said Chen Xin, secretary general of the Shanghai Dairy Association.

"We plan to spend three years perfecting the network and lifting our dairy products to meet international standards."

Thirty to 40 supervisors will be hired to give guidance to dairies on how to improve production techniques, but a budget has still not been drawn up for the scheme, officials said yesterday.

Xie Guofu, director of the China Food Industry Production Center's dairy product branch, said the network will be promoted to other provinces if the trial runs smoothly in Shanghai. Each city resident consumes 37 kilograms of dairy products a year on average, three times the average consumption level across the mainland.

(Source: www.shanghai.gov.cn )