Louisiana Administrative Code › Title 51 - PUBLIC HEALTH-SANITARY CODE › Part VII - Dairy Products Regulations › Chapter 5 - Requirements for Grade A Dairy Farms › Subchapter B - Construction and Maintenance of Grade A Dairy Farm Facilities › Section VII-523 - Milk House or Room

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024
A. There shall
				  be provided a milk house or milk room of sufficient size for the cooling,
				  handling, storing of milk and the washing, sanitizing and storing of milk
				  containers and utensils. The milk house or milk room shall conform to the
				  following requirements.
1. It shall be
				  provided with a tight floor constructed of concrete or other impervious easily
				  cleanable material, in good repair, graded to drain through trapped floor
				  drains.
2. It shall have walls and
				  ceilings of such construction as to permit easy cleaning and shall be painted
				  or finished in an manner approved by the state health officer.
3. The milk house shall be provided with a
				  minimum of 20-foot candles of well distributed light.
4. It shall be provided with windows and
				  solid doors. All outside openings shall be effectively protected against entry
				  of insects, dust and airborne contamination. All outside doors shall be
				  self-closing and open outward.
5.
				  It shall be used for no other purpose than those specified above, except as may
				  be approved by the state health officer.
6. It shall not open directly into a stable
				  or into any room used for domestic purposes.
7. The water supply for the milk room and
				  milking operations shall be from a supply easily accessible, constructed and
				  operated according to Part XII of this Code.
8. It shall have water piped into it and
				  protected against normal freezing conditions.
9. It shall be provided with hot and cold
				  running water under pressure. Water volume and temperature shall be adequate
				  for the cleaning of utensils and operation of automated cleaning
				  systems.
10. It shall be equipped
				  with two-compartment stationary wash and rinse vats, large enough to submerge
				  the largest piece of equipment or container.
11. A conveniently located hand washing
				  facility with hot and cold running water under pressure, soap, air dryer or
				  single service towel shall be provided.
12. The floors, walls, ceilings, windows,
				  tables, shelves, cabinets and any equipment located in the milk house shall be
				  clean. Only articles directly related to milk house activities shall be
				  permitted in the milk house. The milk house shall be free of trash, animals and
				  fowl.
13. Incidental articles may
				  be kept in the milk house provided they are kept clean and ample space is
				  available to conduct normal operations in the milk house and they will not
				  contaminate milk.
14. The milk
				  house shall be adequately ventilated to minimize condensation on floors, walls,
				  ceilings and cleaned utensils.
15.
				  Vents and artificial lighting fixtures shall be installed in a manner to
				  preclude the contamination of bulk milk tank interiors or clean utensil storage
				  areas. They shall not be located over bulk milk tank openings.
16. The state health officer may allow the
				  use of a milk tank truck that is constructed, equipped, located and operated in
				  a manner approved by the state health officer for the storage of raw
				  milk.
17. Milk houses or rooms at
				  dairy farms where the raw milk is transferred from the farm bulk milk tank to
				  milk tank trucks for shipment shall be provided with a hose port in the
				  exterior wall through which the hose used to transfer milk from the bulk tank
				  to the milk tank truck shall be placed during the transfer. The port shall be
				  fitted with a tight fitting door that shall be in good repair and kept closed
				  except when the port is in use. A concrete or equally impervious slab shall be
				  provided under the hose port, sufficiently large to protect the hose from
				  contamination during the transfer of milk. A water hose shall be conveniently
				  located to allow the rinsing of the slab. The area around the slab shall be
				  clean and free of insect harborage or attractants.
18. Milk houses or rooms in which raw milk is
				  shipped in milk cans shall be equipped with mechanical cooling devices,
				  constructed in a manner that meets the 3-A standards or requirements of the
				  PMO, that cool the milk to 7 ° C (45 ° F) or less within four hours or less
				  after each can is filled and maintained at that temperature or less until
				  shipped.