—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Jan. 31, 1976
12
Inspectors aim for protection
HARRISBURG - With approximately 16,000 farms to in
spect, Pennsylvania’s milk sanitarians have a big job to do
throughout the year. Officers at the Bureau of Foods and
Chemistry, Division of Milk Sanitation, here, estimate that
their approved labs check upwards of 150,000 samples of milk
per month.
This monitoring of milk quality - from farm to super
market - has the dual purpose of assuring consumers a clean,
disease-free, unadulterated supply of milk; and providing
producers and processors with quality standards which in
sure existence of a market.
The constant aim of the inspection program on the farm is
to have all producers meet minimum standards which are
conducive to the production of high-quality milk. It’s a goal
which is never fully achieved, says G. William Fouse, chief of
the milk sanitation division. The reason for, this partial
failure is twofold. The immense porportions of the task
make it physically impossible to monitor every individual
situation, and it’s some peoples’ nature to not heed sanitation
regulations. We will always have a certain group of fanners
who are cut off the market or who are border-line cases,
Fouse indicated. The majority, however, are in line with the
state’s sanitation regulations.
Nevertheless, when a problem arises, and the milk
sanitation division is made aware of it, approved inspectors
check on the situation and apply codes to remedy it.
Fouse’s division has the responsibility of checking milk all *
along the route from the farm to the supermarket. The task
includes all stores which handle milk, bottling and
processing plants, at least 1,200 tank truck drivers, milk
trucks, and 16,000 producing farms.
A staff of 22 people directly under Fouse’s command
facilitates in carrying out the public health laws. Sixteen of
these work out of seven regional offices which are scattered
throughout the state. The network of dairy sanitarians
spreads out from there to include 650 inspectors, of which
only 150 are designated as “agents of the Secretary of
Agriculture.” Much of the work is contracted to 60 com
mercial laboratories whose services are hired for the pur
pose of getting the monumental task of testing accomplished.
Each of these laboratories and their director is state
approved, says Fouse, and each analyst is tested for skill*
and accuracy twice a year.
With much to do, and a limited staff, Fouse admits that
problems do arise from time to time. On top of that, milk is
often a subject of consumer concern, and consequently a
political issue. This makes the task of bis office even more
difficult. Fouse has been a member of the dairy sanitation
division since 1958 and worked as a quality control technician
in industry prior to that. In 1969 he became head of the
division of milk sanitation.
While his office still has a sizable task, it is not as broad-
READ LANCASTER FARMING
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By DIETER KRIEG
150,000 samples checked per month
based as it once was. Prior to 1972 his inspectors were going
all over the country to inspect farms and distribution points
which were shipping milk into Pennsylvania. A new law,
however, has eliminated this program and Pennsylvania now
has “reciprocal agreements’’ with other states to take care
of these type of situations. Fouse noted that 80 per cent of the
milk supply in the Commonwealth is subject to conform to
federal standards.
To be a state-approved inspector, the applicant must not
only pass tests on procedures, but also demonstrate in the
field that he can effectively communicate with farmers and
milk handlers. In other words, the ability to handle a problem
is as important as being able to point it out. Persons with a
dairy farm background are preferred.
The average inspector has 100 farms under his jurisdiction,
Fouse said. They are trained in various aspects of milk
sanitation, as well as pesticide regulations, and related
matters such as bulk tank agitation pipeline installation
criteria, and leucocyte counts. Commenting on pesticide
regulations, Fouse indicated that they are strict, but that
they, and any other activities of his department aren’t meant
to hurt anyone. “Our job is to protect the public,” he ex
plained, “we are not out to penalize anyone unjustly.” Ad-
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mlttlng that a dairyman can face considerable financial
losses if pesticide residues are found in his milk, he stated
that some monetary help from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture is available IF it can be proved that the pesticide
in question was used according to directions.
Service, efficiency, and integrity of the sanitation program
have improved over the last few years, as Fouse sees it. A
new regulation, for example, makes it mandatory for his
department to be notified of any shipper suspensions and
take-ons within 24 hours. This is to prevent “banned” miiv
from entering the market via alternative outlets. Efficiency
has been improved upon through the previously mentioned
“reciprocal agreements.”
The integrity of samples had been a big problem in the
past, Fouse stated. “But producers can be assured now that
the laboratory report he receives reflects the actual quality
of the milk in his farm tank. This provides assurance of
safety not only to the consumer, but also farmer-producers.
The integrity problem has been eliminated, Fouse explained,
by making sure that all sample testing is certified, weeding
out sloppy samplers, and insisting on offical samples. There
was a time when “official” samples came straight from any,
bulk tank driver.
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