Govt confirms EFSA findings on A1 milk

The Government will not convene a group of experts to discuss the European Food Safety Authority's (EFSA) review of the science of A1 milk, Minister for Food Safety Kate Wilkinson announced today.

The previous administration had agreed to the Slorach Review recommendation that an expert panel be convened to discuss the EFSA report upon its release.

"The EFSA review is considered definitive and it found that there was no need for a risk assessment of the safety of A1 milk," Ms Wilkinson says.

"It concluded there was no established link between A1 milk and non-communicable diseases such as autism and type 1 diabetes, based on the science available.

"Flying in international experts to discuss a report that reached such clear conclusions would not add to what we already know."

The expert panel would have cost about $60,000 to convene.

Ms Wilkinson says this decision is not intended to discourage anyone interested in doing further research in this area of their own accord.

Researchers are able to put forward proposals for funding to the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Crown agency responsible for public good health research.