TONNES of China-made dairy products will be destroyed in Singapore over the next few days, as the temporary ban on these products by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) continues, in the wake of the China tainted-milk scandal.

Some importers now feel they have little option but to trash hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of goods, especially perishables such as milk and ice cream nearing their expiry dates.

Representatives from about 160 firms - some obviously anxious - who met the AVA on Tuesday told The Straits Times that they had hoped to get a clear idea of when the ban would be lifted.

Instead, they were given two stark choices: They could either rack up rental costs by storing the goods in warehouses for indefinitely, or destroy them now.

Since no timeframe for the ban was given, importers - those who bring in Youcan ice cream and Monmilk milk, for example - are biting the bullet and destroying their stocks.

They have two reasons for doing so. One is that their products have expiry dates coming up within the next few months. The other is that they want to assure customers that the products put on shop shelves after the ban is lifted will be from fresh stocks.

Importers said they are disappointed with the lack of a clearer timeline and they urged the AVA to release to the public more frequent updates on tested products.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.