Re: Re: raw milk cheese recall

[Guest guest]

Debbie Hi

Things have been changing in the last few months. Not really sure what has precipitated this but it has. I get my results every month now.

They have gone to demanding full samples of what ever size you sell, no more partials even though they only use a very small amount of milk.

I am on a email list that sends out your monthly results. I did have to write in the first time but now it just comes. My inspector is much less

invasive when she comes. Checks temps and takes the sample and once every six months does a site inspect and water sample. I really don't

think much goes on at WSDA unless something happens. I have been licensed for 4 years now and have not had any trouble with WSDA. Just

wanted to show that there can be another side to things.

Chris

I was licensed for three years here in WA as a Grade A retail raw milk and aged raw milk cheese goat dairy. For all the hoops that WSDA requires before getting a license, I was amazed that they didn't require a milk sample. Once I was licensed and they picked up a milk sample each month to test in the WSDA Food Safety lab, I expected that they would send me the test results. Nope. And when I asked for those results, they told me I had no right to them! That they were for regulatory purposes, and that I would have to send out my own samples to a private lab if I wanted any kind of lab report. Can you believe that? I found out that processors of *pasteurized* dairy products had always been given their test results, and without asking. So I had to actually demand WSDA give me my results each month, and remind them of the Freedom of Information Act, and send a request via email in each month. Why would WSDA do this? Which by the way, I believe they still do not give raw milk dairies (licensed to sell milk as raw milk for human consumption) their results unless asked directly.... They do this hoping that by keeping the farmer "blind" to what the regulatory lab results say, that the raw milk farmer will think everything is fine when in fact it may not be, and then WSDA can shut them down, temporarily or permanently. I would not be surprised if they do this to raw milk cheese makers. For fluid raw milk, the non pathogenic coliform count is to be under 10 per ml to meet regulations. Mine were always 2 or less, except one time I got a 10. I thought for sure the dairy inspector would be on my doorstep but no.... in fact she "missed" the next two months and did not pick up a sample. Some farmers might have been lulled by that attitude, and gotten lax. I didn't and my count went back down. But this is how they really operate. They withhold essential information from the dairy farmers. In some locations, possibly up where Sally is located, the regulators may not go monthly. There are many games that WSDA is willing to play, and willing to wait for the right time to strike.Debbie Higgins