China executes two over milk scandal

Fonterra says the Sanlu tainted milk scandal which killed at least six children in China has been "a terrible tragedy", after China yesterday executed two people for their role in lacing milk with melamine.

Fonterra farmers held a 43 percent stake in Sanlu, though they have since written off their $201 million investment in the now-bankrupt Chinese company.

Nearly 300,000 children fell ill last year after drinking milk intentionally laced with melamine.

A total of 21 Sanlu executives and middlemen were tried and sentenced in January by a court in the northern city of Shijiazhuang for their involvement in the case.

Sanlu's former general manager, Tian Wenhua, received a life jail sentence after pleading guilty late last year to charges that did not carry the death sentence.

Three other former Sanlu executives were given between five years and 15 years in prison.

The official Xinhua news agency, citing a court statement, said Geng Jinping and Zhang Yujun were executed yesterday.

Geng Jinping was convicted of producing and selling toxic food, after selling more than 900 tonnes of tainted milk, and cattle farmer Zhang Yujun was executed "for the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means" – he produced more than 770 tonnes of melamine-laced protein powder, of which he sold more than 600 tonnes, between July 2007 and August 2008.

A Fonterra spokesman said "the whole incident has been a terrible tragedy".

The two men who were executed did not work for Sanlu, he said.

The company would not comment on the executions, saying they were a matter for the Chinese authorities.

Sanlu officials were aware of the melamine problem by early August 2008 but the public was not warned until mid-September as China strove to put on a perfect face for the Beijing Olympics.

Fonterra had three directors on the Sanlu board – Bob Major, Mark Wilson and a Chinese national, Patrick Kwok – and said it pushed for a full public recall of contaminated product from August 2 when it learned of the contamination.

Melamine, which can cause kidney stones, is meant to be used in making plastics, fertilisers and even concrete. Its high nitrogen content allows protein levels to appear higher when it is added to milk or animal feed.

China has since tightened regulations and increased inspections on producers and exporters in cooperation with US officials, who have noted a drop in the number of product recalls on Chinese exports.

But Beijing continues to struggle to regulate countless small and illegally run operations, often blamed for introducing chemicals and additives into the food chain.

The country has 450,000 registered food production and processing enterprises, but many - about 350,000 - employ just 10 people or fewer. The UN said in a report last year that the small enterprises present many of China's greatest food safety challenges.

Zhang Yujun, the farmer, was executed for endangering public safety, and Geng Jinping for producing and selling toxic food, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Much of the phony protein powder that Zhang and Geng produced and sold ended up at the now-defunct Sanlu Group Co, at the time one of China's biggest dairies.

Xinhua said an announcement of the execution had been issued by the Shijiazhuang Municipal Intermediate People's Court, although a court clerk who answered the phone Tuesday said he was unable to confirm the sentences had been carried out. Most executions in China are performed by firing squad.

Of the others tried and sentenced in January in connection with the scandal, Sanlu's general manager, Tian Wenhua, was given a life sentence after pleading guilty to charges of producing and selling fake or substandard products.

Three other former Sanlu executives were given between five years and 15 years in prison.

NATIONAL OUTRAGE

Outrage spread quickly after news of the doctored milk broke in September of last year, both because of the extent of the contamination and allegations that the government prevented the news from breaking until after the Olympic Games in Beijing ended.

The cover-up accusations were never publicly investigated, and authorities have since harassed and detained activist parents pushing lawsuits demanding higher compensation and the punishment of government officials. Families were offered a one-time payout - ranging from of 2000 yuan (NZ$408) to 200,000 yuan (NZ$40,412), depending on the severity of the case - in exchange for not pursuing lawsuits.

Tuesday's executions brought some comfort to Li Xinquan, who lost one of her eight-month-old twin daughters who was fed with melamine-tainted formula from Sanlu. Li has waged a so-far futile campaign to force authorities to admit negligence and provide fair compensation.

"They deserved it. This is the punishment they have received from the government," said Li, whose other daughter survived because she was breast fed.

Another parent, Wang Zhenping, also voiced satisfaction with the executions, reflecting strong support for the death penalty in China, which executes more people annually than the rest of the world combined.

Wang, who said his two-year-old son appeared to have recovered from the melamine poisoning, had rejected the compensation offer and said he was now growing weary of the struggle.

"I feel like it doesn't really matter now," he said.

US Consumer Products Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said last month that Beijing has made progress in increasing safety in products.

The numbers of consumer recalls of toys imported from China had fallen from more than 80 in fiscal 2008 to about 40 in fiscal 2009, Tenenbaum said.

"Chinese suppliers and US importers are now on notice from both governments that it is a mistake to depend on good intentions and a few final inspections to ensure compliance with safety requirements," she told a conference in Beijing.

- With NZPA

- AP