Agriculture Department Warns Consumers of Tainted Raw Milk Sold by County Dairy

[Guest guest]

PA has been quiet for a while, but now another listeria

" contamination " health alert. Perhaps in retaliation for the

farm selling raw milk sans permit?

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Agriculture Department Warns Consumers of Tainted Raw Milk

Sold by County Dairy

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 12

/PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumers who have

purchased raw milk from Fisher's Dairy farm in Portersville,

County,

should discard it immediately due to the risk of Listeria

Monocytogenes

contamination, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said today.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or

homogenized.

Pennsylvania farms selling raw milk must be permitted and inspected

to

reduce health risks associated with the unpasteurized products. In

2006,

Fisher's Dairy gave up its raw milk permit, but state inspectors found

that

the dairy had begun selling raw milk again without a permit.

" During an investigation of the dairy, inspectors

purchased raw milk

which tested positive for Listeria Monocytogenes, " said Wolff.

" If

consumers have raw milk from this farm, they should discard it

immediately. "

No illnesses have been reported as a result of the

potential

contamination, but if people who consumed the raw milk become ill,

they

should consult their physicians.

The Department of Agriculture has detained all milk

products at the

farm. Samples were taken from the farm on March 6, and tested positive

for

Listeria Monocytogenes on March 10.

Symptoms of Listeriosis are fever, muscle aches, and

sometimes

gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. If infection

spreads

to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck,

confusion,

loss of balance or convulsions can occur.

Infected pregnant women may experience only a mild,

flu-like illness,

but infections during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or

stillbirth.

Symptoms of Listeriosis can appear in four days to

three weeks.

CONTACT:

L. Ryder

Don Neeper

Senior Software Engineer

SofTechnics, a METTLER TOLEDO Company

dneeper@...

don.neeper@...

http://www.OhioRawMilk.info/dneeper