A36-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 4,1986 Dairy Regulations Revamped HARRISBURG - The Penn sylvania Department of Agriculture has revamped sections of the state’s milk and dairy products regulations, adopting major revisions designed to benefit consumers, producers and food processors and manufacturers. Agriculture Secretary Richard E. Grubb said the new rules will help Pennsylvania to maintain its position as a leading dairy state and encourage the development of new products. “It is essential that our rules and regulations establish the best climate for buyer and seller,” he added. Grubb said the amendments to the regulations dealing with Milk and Dairy Products Definitions and Standards and to the regulations on Milk Sanitation Standards will accomplish four main goals: • Encourage the development of new dairy-related food products through tiie introduction of tem porary marketing permits. The permits will allow manufacturers to test market new items while protecting their trade secrets and at the same time enable the Agriculture Department to determine that there is no con sumer deception or unfair com petition. • Establish a definition for foods that will be classified “artificial” dairy products because they do not fit the state and federal standards for dairy products. • Improve milk quality through a one-third reduction in the number of somatic cells permitted in milk that is marketed. • Set classifications for more than 70 different varieties of true cheeses made from both pasteurized and raw milk. The regulation also specifies that Deadline Extended HARRISBURG - A new deadline of Oct. 31 has been set for local dairy promotion groups to seek matching money for January to June 1987 promotions, according to Don Duncan, Advisory Board Chairman of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. Duncan, a Robesonia dairyman, said the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program originally announced an Oct. 13 cutoff date for applications. However, new guidelines adopted by the Board in August have required a switch in plans for some local committees, he noted. Future grants will be limited to milk producer organizations or to local, non-profit committees supervised by dairymen, Duncan said. Also, funds will be awarded on a 50-50 matching basis. This includes capital investments. “Profits from such investments must be used for future dairy promotions,” Duncan said. According to Duncan, “the new guidelines are due to limited funds and an overwhelming demand.” A full $35,000 in matching money will be available for the first six months of 1987, he said and an equal amount for the second half of the year. Local promotions groups have been advised of the October 31 deadline and the new guidelines. “Others should contact Penn sylvania Dairy Promotion Program’s Cindy Weimer for the complete guidelines before ap plying,” Duncan said. Cindy Weimer can be contacted through the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, 2301 Cameron Street, Harrisburg, Pa. 17101-9408, or by calling (717) 787- 6903. cheese made from raw milk must be aged for 60 days before public sale to assure the culture develops sufficiently to inhibit disease producing bacteria. In addition, the regulations, which became effective Sept. 6, adopt a number of federal stan dards and classifications for dairy related foods and set guidelines for their production and resale. Grubb said the changes reflect input from the agricultural community and the dairy industry. The provision for temporary marketing permits, which or dinarily will be good for periods of up to one year, was prompted by the food industry’s desire to test market a growing number of new products that do not fit the traditional classifications for dairy items, according to G. William Fouse, director of the state Agriculture Department’s Bureau of Foods and Chemistry. He cited the recent development of new spreads that cannot be classified as either butter ot lIP When Performance Makes The Difference margarine. “The department is attempting to maintain order in the market place while encouraging in novation and the development of new products,” he explained. The regulation establishing a definition for artificial dairy products will also encourage new products that will benefit the agriculture community as well as the consumer, Fouse said. At the same time, it will allow the state to protect consumers from the mislabeling of products that do not fit the standard identity of true dairy products. The department’s regulation conforms with those recently adopted by other states and the federal government, according to Fouse. Fouse said the reduction of allowable somatic cells in milk from 1.5 to 1 million per milliliter is necessary for the marketing of Pennsylvania milk in other states. He said the action should en courage better herd sanitation practices. >r • BRO NORTHEAST AGRI SYSTEMS, INC. Adult Turkey Feeder It's from OltittJuiL FLYWAY BUSINESS PARK 139 A West Airport Rd. Lititz, PA 17543 (717) 569-2702 Dairy Farmers Set Meeting SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Local dairy farmers representing District 17 of the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council will meet on Oct. 17,1986 to discuss their dairy advertising and promotion programs. The meeting will take place at the Gelatt Grange Hall, Gelatt, Pa. at 8 p.m. Staff members of the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council will be at the meeting to present a review of 1986 ad vertising programs. Their presentation will include an audio visual program showing the many ways consumers can encounter dairy promotion and nutrition education programs. The meeting will include elections of district committee members. All local dairy farmers are in vited to attend. District 17 includes the counties of Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne, Susquehanna, and Wyoming. Reservations must be made in advance. For further information contact the following district committeemen; K. Allen Roszel (717) 278-2433, Donald Pease (717) 756-2810, Grant Teeple (717) 224- 4554, Lynita Vail (717) 224-4579 Richard Naylor (717) 965-2344, William Garrett (717) 253-1884, Wayne Warren (717) 434-2891. You can also make reservations by calling the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council toll free at (800) ADA-MILK (in New York) or (800) HOT-MILK (in Pennsylvania and New Jersey). The ADA/DC is a generic dairy promotion program funded by 20,000 dairy farmers from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
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