Two farmers have been held responsible for intentionally poisoning milk that killed three children and sickened 36 others in Pingliang in Northwest China's Gansu province.

As is customary in Chinese law, their case was explained in public on Tuesday afternoon. Police say the arrested pair at the center of the investigation have confessed to poisoning milk at a rival producers farm. It's believed that nitrate, a chemical used to make dyes and preserve meat, caused the deaths and sickness.