Local dairy producers yesterday blasted blasted restaurateur and would-be ultra heat treated (UHT) milk importer Fosco Nannini, accusing him of Customs fraud and ?gross inaccuracies? in his criticism of Bermuda?s dairy embargo.

Local farmers defended Bermuda?s dairymen as hard working producers of top notch milk and Michael Dunkley, CEO of the Island?s only milk processing plant, said Mr. Nannini was only lashing out after he was caught ?with his pants down?.

?First off, the thing that really sticks in my belly was that Mr. Nannini was happy to bring in the UHT even though it was against the law,? said Michael Dunkley, chief executive officer of Dunkley?s Dairy.

Mr. Nannini must have committed fraud every time he imported a shipment of UHT milk, whether he declared the milk or not, he charged.

?I support the milk embargo,? Mr. Dunkley said.

Mr. Dunkley?s spoke in response to an article appearing in yesterday?s in which Mr. Nannini said Dunkley?s Dairy had an unfair monopoly on milk distribution.

Mr. Nannini also said there was no need for Government to ban UHT milk in order to protect local dairy farmers, saying it is a ?completely different product? from Dunkley?s Dairy milk and is in demand by a market limited to yachtsmen and Italian restaurants.

?A lot of what Mr. Nannini said not true,? Mr. Dunkley said, denying that Dunkley?s Dairy sent yachtsmen to Mr. Mr. Nannini for UHT milk after this year?s Newport-Bermuda race, as Mr. Nannini claimed.

?Anyone can bring in UHT milk with permission,? he said. ?I?ve done it on numerous occasions. As to the monopoly which he makes a big deal about, I always make it clear that Dunkley?s Dairy is a monopoly. But anyone can do what we do, which is a run a milk processing plant.?

He added that he does not have Government protection.

?It just takes two things ? a lot of capital and hard work,? Mr. Dunkley said.

?Mr. Nannini can complain all he wants about (our monopoly but he can open his own dairy plant if he wants. Then one of us can bite the dust,? said Mr. Dunkley who said that in the past he had competition from Bermuda Creamery but that his company successfully outlasted it.

?It is incorrect that majority of milk is powdered milk,? Mr. Dunkley said. ?The vast majority of our milk is fresh Bermuda milk, which we pick up seven days week from local farmers. Obviously, Mr. Nannini?s upset,? he added, describing him as being caught ?with his pants down? having ?built up an illegal trade.?

The blame for the flaunting of the embargo does not lie with Bermuda?s Customs officials, Mr. Dunkley said. The responsibility lies with the importer, who he says must be honest because ?we just don?t have the manpower to check all the containers?.

?I?m in the same situation, because Dunkley?s Dairy is also a food distribution company,? he said. ?We deal with embargoes all the time but we don?t try to slip in products under the Customs radar.

?As an importer we bring in numerous containers. I?m always telling my staff that we must state everything that we are bringing in.?

But Mr. Dunkley had nothing but praise for Bermuda?s dairy farm industry, which was also subject to criticism from Mr. Nannini?s daughter, Chiara.

He said most people fail to realise how hard local farmers work.

Similarly angered by Mr. Nannini?s comments was Harry Crommer, who owns two of Bermuda?s dairy farms ? Outlea and Spittal Pond.

With a production rate of 3,600 quarts a day, he supplies about 80 percent of the Island?s fresh milk.

?Mr. Nannini?s comments were like a slap in the face,? said Mr. Crommer, who said Bermuda?s milk has been found through testing to be a cleaner, better tasting and sweeter milk than any found in the US.

And this quality, he says comes at a huge cost. Instead of using cheaper silage for feed, as North American and European farmers do, he says he feeds his 125 milking cows 18 tonnes of quinoa grain every week.

?My bill for my grain is just under $48,000 every four weeks,? he said, adding that without Dunkley?s Dairy most farmers wouldn?t be able to pasteurise their own milk.

Tom Wadson, the president of the Bermuda Farmer?s Association, said Bermuda is ?blessed to have a good dairy industry?.

?If they go out of business, well then let?s all go out and drink UHT milk,? he said. He also cited a recent Government report which looked into the dairy industry.

?The gist of the report was Bermuda?s dairy men are doing a great job and could do with some support,? he said.