Evening star., 1950-08-04
Rules Due Thursday
On Preferred RATING
In Milk Sterilization
By Horriet Griffiths

11cdlGIl O4llCeI Odulcl -. OcCh"
niger must decide by next Thurs
day the extent of the preferred
rating to be given dairy farmers
serving the District who use
steam, rather than chemical
methods of sterilizing equipment.
The Commissioners set this
deadline yesterday after APPROX
ing a seven-page revision of the
city's regulations on production
and distribution of milk sold here.
The rules were designed to enlarge
the local supply without reducing
the quality.
The eight-year-old wartime
permitting the importa-
tion Of milk not inspected by the
District Health Department will
expire August 81, leaving the city
totally dependent on milk pro-
uuCSO III U1I10 al co.
Steam Method Gets Preference.
The provision to allow chemical
as well as steam methods OF
sterilization played a leading role
in the public hearing on the new
regulations last month. Chemi.
cal sterilization drew the opposi.
ton of the Maryland and Virgins
Milk Producers Association
whose members supply IS per cent
Of the milk here.
Last Tuesday, the Commission
ers decided to permit chemical
sterilization, but to give steam
methods a preference.
Among the other principal
changes approved yesterday are:
Outlawing of the sale of milk
here which has bacteria count
in excess of 100000 per cubic cen
timeter on the farm, or in excess
of 100000 at any time before pas
teurization. The old rules per-
mitted a farmer to bring in his
milk irrespective of the bacteria
count before pasteurization.
Permitting of other types of
cooling equipment than the pre-
viously-specif1ed surface cooler. /"
Opens Distributors Records.
Throwing open of the records of
all distributors to the Health De-
partment for official purposes.
This is to prevent illegal impor-
tation of uninSpected milk.
Permitting of a milking parlor-
loafing barn combination, as well
as the previously required stanch-
ion barn on the farm. A stanchion
barn is a structure in which cat
tie are both MIXED and quar-
tered. Now the COWS may be quar-
tered in the loafing barn and put
through the milking parlor in ro-
tation.
Requirement that the loafing
barn must not be nearer than SO
feet to the milk house, milking
parlor or stanchion barn.
Requirement by regulation that
dairy and farm employees be ex-
amined annually for freedom
from communicable disease. This
formerly increased the farm score,
but was not mandatory.
Mandatory compliance within
two years with the program of
the Bureau of Animal Industry
Of the Agriculture Department for
the eradication of brucellosis.
Single Building Permitted.
Contrary to the producer as
sociation's desire to compel farms
to have a separate building for
the milk house where cooling,
handling and storage of milk and
sterilization of equipment takes
place, the rules provide that the
milk house may be part of a
larger structure, provided it Is
partitioned.
The Commissioners had been
permitting the use of chemical
sterilization under a temporary
relaxation of the rules last June
%. Under this provision, the
same credit was given dairy farms
on their score cards for chemical
methods as for steam.
Previously, a farmer using
chemicals was denied the Is points
granted for steam sterilization,
making it possible for him to get
only IS of the possible 100 points
if he had perfect score other
wise.
Passing score is 10, but most
farms made 90. Since
the dairies pay on a premium
basis, it was competitively un-
sound for a producer with a low
score tn shin to thiS Yoarket