The UAE is taking all possible steps to make sure that no contaminated milk products enter the market after a botulism scare hit the New Zealand dairy sector, said a top government official.

The Ministry of Environment and Water is relaying the alerts received from international agencies on New Zealand dairy products to the local authorities and has advised them to withdraw any contaminated products from the market, Saif Al Shar’a, Assistant Undersecretary for Agricultural Affairs and Animal welfare and chairman of the Committee for Food Safety at the ministry, was quoted as saying by Gulf News.

Such products will be destroyed or sent back to the country of origin, he added.

Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has intensified checks for contaminated milk products, according to said Mohammad Jalal Al Rayssi, the spokesman of authority.

New Zealand’s Fonterra, a leading dairy company, said that its branded consumer products in the UAE were not affected by the WPC80 quality issue announced by the co-operative on August 3, 2013.

"All Fonterra branded products in the UAE including Anchor, Anlene and Chesdale are 100 per cent safe for consumption,” Alan Fitzsimmons, managing director of Fonterra Brands, Middle East and Africa, was quoted as saying in the report.