A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 18, 2000
USD A Seeks Comments On
Proposed Ammendments
To The Fluid Milk Order
WASHINGTON, D.C.
(USDA) - The U.S. Department
of Agriculture is inviting the
public to comment on proposals
to amend the Fluid Milk Promo
tion Order.
The proposals would modify
the membership status of the
National Fluid Milk Processor
Promotion Board to allow indi
vidual fluid milk processors to
be represented by up to three
board members instead of two.
The proposals would also allow
board members whose fluid milk
processor company affiliation
has changed to serve for six
months or until a successor is
appointed, whichever is sooner.
The National Fluid Milk Pro
cessor Promotion Board, which
administers the Fluid Milk
Order, requested the proposed
changes. The program is fi
nanced by a mandatory 20-cent
per hundredweight assessment
on all fluid milk products pro-
Agricultural • Commercial • Residential
SITE EXCAVATION
Installation of H.D.P.E. Liner Systems for:
Economical Manure Storage
Seals manure in, subsurface water out
Concrete ramp for manure agitation and pumping
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1942 Camp Swatara Road • Myerstown, PA 17067
Ph; (717) 933-8853 • Fax: (717)933-8078
cessed and marketed in consum
er-type packages by fluid milk
processors in the 48 contiguous
states and the District of Colum
bia.
Fluid milk processors who
process and market more than
500,000 pounds of fluid milk
products are charged the assess
ment, and those who process
and market 500,000 pounds or
less are exempted from the
order.
Details of the proposed
changes will be published as a
proposed rule in the March 17
Federal Register. Comments,
postmarked no later than April
17 may be sent to Dairy Pro
grams, AMS, USDA, 1400 Inde
pendence Avenue, SW, Stop
0233, Room 2958-S, Washing
ton, D.C. 20250-0233. Copies of
the proposed rule and additional
information may be obtained
from David R. Jamison at that
address, tel. (202) 720-6909.
From the Department of Dairy and Animal Science
(Continued from Page A3O)
meat safety.
Scientists have much to learn
about the spread of pathogens
between and among animals
during shipping and marketing.
They have not ascertained what
causes shedding and spreading of
the pathogens during marketing,
shipping and handling of these
animals. Co-minglmg of animals
would seem to reduce any
advantage of identifying farms or
feedyards, which have worked to
eliminate or reduce pathogens.
The producer is limited in
practices, at the farm, which
reduce the potential for
contaminating a carcass with
pathogens. Some educators have
developed what are called “Best
Management Practices”. These
are far short of a true HACCP
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plan but are a step in getting
producers to think about
management practices which
might affect food safety. These
practices include such things as
cleaning feeders and waterers
regularly and preventing bird
droppings from entering the feed
or water supply. Keeping market
cattle as clean as possible is also
helpful and some packers refuse
to buy excessively dirty animals.
Quality Assurance programs
by the pork, beef and veal
industries have been successful in
addressing some food safety
issues but have done very little to
address pathogens.
There is some question if beef
is even the main reservoir of E.
coli pathogens. Preliminary work
hfere at Penn State, funded by the
PA Department of Agriculture,
has led us to believe that cattle
may be only intermediate hosts.
MILK
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We have found levels of E. coli in
whitetail deer many times higher
than in cattle. One of the recent
outbreaks (m the state
Washington), in which children
were made ill from E. coli when
swimming, showed the same
serotype of E. coli was found in
DUCK droppings!
Clearly, more evidence about
the elimination or control of
pathogens needs to be done
before USDA can effectively
include livestock in mandatory
HACCP plans.
A great deal of improvement
has been done by the meat and
poultry processors, but one fact
remains; there is no step to totally
eliminate pathogens between the
farm gate and the consumers
plate, other than PROPER
COOKING!
Dairy Alliance
(Continued from Page A3l)
of the dairy operation’s size,”
said Bair. “Small and large
farmers can benefit from any
subject we address in Dairy Alli
ance. It should be the goal of
every farmer to be more progres
sive and keep up with the indus
try.”
For more information about
Dairy Alliance, dairy producers
can call 1-888-373-PA DAIRY
or visit the web site at www.dair
yalliance.com.
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