Welcome to the DTAS website
The Dairy Transport Assurance Scheme provides assurance to milk purchasers that the transport of raw milk and milk fractions meets food safety requirements, recognised industry good practice and specific customer needs.
The scheme is based on annual inspections of the milk haulage depots operated by scheme members. The assessment is conducted against 72 standards, allocated between 7 modules, covering haulage operations, vehicle hygiene, site and statutory requirements, HACCP, personnel and training, subcontractors and contingency procedures.
The scheme is administered by Dairy UK and is overseen by a Management Committee drawn from major milk purchasers and hauliers in the UK.
Membership of the scheme covers an estimated 95% of milk haulage capacity in the UK.
Alongside the Red Tractor Assurance Scheme for Dairy Farms, and the BRC Global Standard for food processing, the DTAS scheme completes the proposition behind the Red Tractor Logo of farm to pack assurance of the dairy supply chain, including dairy production, processing and distribution.
As from 1 April 2015, it has been a requirement that all dairy products carrying the Red Tractor logo have to use milk that has been hauled by a DTAS approved haulier.
Please click here to view/download our leaflet giving an overview of the scheme.
News and Announcements
Dates for DTAS Awareness Courses announced
Further DTAS Awareness Courses have been scheduled as follows:
- Monday, 5th August 2024 - SJ Bargh, The Shires, Stoke-on-Trent
- Tuesday, 6th August 2024 - SJ Bargh, The Shires, Stoke-on-Trent
The provision of dates at these venues will be dependent upon demand.
The Awareness Course is for people who wish to gain a good and effective understanding of the DTAS Standards, but do not (necessarily) wish to become assessors. It has been developed for Managers, Supervisors and new personnel of hauliers and milk purchasers to improve their knowledge of the Standards, and how they need to be applied within their organisation. It covers all the DTAS Standards, focusing on what is required to comply with them, and also includes a practical element.
Further details about the Awareness Courses can be seen by clicking here
If you and/or any of your colleagues are interested in participating in any of these courses, please contact the facilitator Paul Charlton on 07742 410742 or by email at paul.charlton@casolutions.org.uk
Last updated 28/06/2024
Additional Module for Traction-only Haulage introduced from 1st May 2024
The DTAS Standards are based on a modular format, whereby members are certificed for those aspects of the scheme that they undertake and the annual audits are conducted on this basis.
As from 1st May 2024, an additional module (G) for Traction-only Haulage has been introduced to supplement those launched on 1st May 2023.
All members have to comply with Module A: General Management and members indicate which of the following additional modules will also be included in their audits, according to the scope of their operations:
Module B: Sub-depots, Outbased Reloads (OBR) and Use of Lay-bys
Module C: Farm Collection and Roadside Collection
Module D: Reload
Module E: Milk Fractions
Module F: Depot On-site CIP
Module G: Traction-only Haulage
The List of Scheme Members page of the website indicates which of the modules have been included in the audit for an individual site and, therefore, which aspects of the DTAS Scheme, it is certified for.
Last updated 28/06/2024
DTAS New Assessor and Internal Auditor Training Course to be held on 9&10 October 2024
A DTAS New Assessors / Internal Auditor Training Course will held on 9/10 October at SJ Bargh, The Shires, Stoke-on-Trent for any suitably qualified personnel who wish to become qualified as assessors under the DTAS scheme. The event is also open to existing assessors who want to refresh their expertise, and to haulier staff that may have responsibility for self-assessments or who just wish to become more familiar with the scheme.
The first day primarily covered the current DTAS Standards and the second day featured a practical session followed by an exam, which delegates have to pass before being able to move on to the next stage of the process, which is to undertake their first assessment, shadowed by an existing DTAS registered assessor, within six months of the course.
Full details can be viewed here.
Last updated 28/06/2024
Dairy UK Guidance on Safe Systems for Working at Height on Milk Tankers published
A new document, entitled Dairy UK Guidance on Safe Systems for Working at Height on Milk Tankers (which has been prepared by a DTAS working group) is now available on the Scheme Dcouments page.
The document stresses that the best way to ensure safety is to avoid working at height in the first place but, when there is no alternative in order to complete the task, then advice is given on the procedures that should be followed so that you can prevent falls and conduct the task in a safe and practical way to minimise the risk of injury.
Last updated 26/04/2018