Evening star., 1950-08-04
Milk SteriIiziinq
Preferred Ratinq
Due By Thursday
D. 6. Heads Revise
Regulations Over
Doiying Methods
By Harriet Griffiths

niger MuSC QeClQe Uy 1leAL 1lulS b
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
measure permitting the importa-
tion of milk not inspected by the
District Health Department viii,
expire August 81. leaving the city
totally dependent on milk pro-
duced in this area.
Steam Method Gets Preference.
The provision to allow chemical
as well as steam methods OF
sterilization played leading role
in the public hearing on the new
regulations last month. Chemi-
cal sterilization drew the opposi-
ton of the Maryland and Virginia
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 a bacteria count
in excess of 100000 per cubic cen
timeter on the farm, or in excess
of 10000 at any time before pas
teurization. The old rules per-
mitted a farmer to bring in hi;
milk irrespective of the bacteria
count before pasteurization.
Permitting of other types o1
cooling equipment than the pre-.
viouSly- specified surface cooler.
Opens Distributors Records.
Throwing open of the records o.
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 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 withir
two years with the program o.
the Bureau of Animal Industr!
of the Agriculture Department fol
the eradication of brucellosis.
Single Building Permitted.
Contrary to the producer as
sociation's desire to compel farm
to have a separate building TO.
the milk house where cooling
handling and storage of milk ane
sterilization of equipment take!
place, the rules provide that the
milk house may be part of g
larger structure, provided it Il
separately partitioned.
The Commissioners had been
permitting Che use OF cnemlcal
sterilization under temporary
relaxation of the rules last June
%. Under this provision, the
same credit was given dairy farms
on their score cards for chemica
methods as for steam.
Previously, farmer using
chemicals was denied the Is point!
granted for steam sterilization
making it possible for him to ge
only 85 of the possible 100 point
if he had a perfect score other
wise.
Passing score is 10, but mos
approved farms made 80. Sine,
the dairieS pay on a premium
basis, it was competitively un
sound for a producer with a loy
score to ship to this market.