Do you have a dairy company in the Netherlands? Your dairy company must be approved or registered with the Dutch supervisory authority in the field of dairy, poultry, and eggs (stichting Controle Orgaan Kwaliteits Zaken, COKZ). This allows them to monitor the safety of food production.
Who needs approval or registration?
Your dairy company needs approval if it, among others:
- processes or sores milk
- is a factory-based dairy processor
- is a follow-up processor
- refines cheeses (matures, cuts, grates, and/or processes cheeces)
- is a temperature-controlled storage site
- prepares special foods
- is a farm or small-scale dairy manufacturer
Certain dairy companies do not need approval, but they do need to register. This applies to, among others:
- dairy farms
- holdings with unconditioned storage of dairy products
- companies that manufacture dairy products and sell them directly to the consumer
How to apply for approval?
If you want to manufacture as a dairy company, you must have approval or be registered. To receive approval or registration, you must first comply, among others, with the requirements of the European hygiene regulations.
Do you want to apply for approval for or register your company (in Dutch)? You must send the application form for approval or registration to the COKZ (in Dutch). Applying for registration or recognition involves several steps (in Dutch). For more information contact the COKZ's Data Processing team.
If you are already registered with COKZ, registration with the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is no longer necessary. Dairy farmers who do not need approval still have to register with COZK and comply with the hygiene codes.
If you end business activities that require an approval or registration, you must terminate the approval or registration (in Dutch).
Milk and milk products data
If you own a milk processing company, you must supply information annually about the volumes of processed milk and milk products you have produced to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (in Dutch).