THE PINE HILL DAIRY (PHD) has stopped importing fresh pasteurised milk a month ahead of the expiration of its import licence.

This follows the dumping last week of 18 000 litres of spoilt milk which was the second shipment since it was granted a three-month import licence last month to offset the reported shortfall in local production.

Managing director Clyde Gibson said yesterday when the milk arrived from Florida and tests were done, it only had three to four days' shelf life. That, he added, was "too little time" to get the milk sold.

He explained the cooling equipment in the container had malfunctioned and caused the milk to sour and become unfit for human consumption.

None of the milk reached supermarket shelves, he said, adding it had been dumped in front of port health inspectors at the Bridgetown Port.

He said fresh pasteurised milk from the PHD had not been available for three weeks.

Gibson revealed a third shipment was being tested. He said PHD had been granted permission to release some of it and it should soon reach consumers. (WG)