Virginia Administrative Code › Title 2 - AGRICULTURE › Agency 5 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND CONSUMER SERVICES › Chapter 501 - REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE COOLING, STORING, SAMPLING AND TRANSPORTING OF MILK › Section 2VAC5-501-80 - Farm bulk milk pickup tanker and milk transport tank requirements

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. When picking up
				and transporting any milk in a bulk milk pickup tanker, each bulk milk hauler
				shall:
1. Practice good hygiene, maintain a
				neat and clean appearance, and abstain from using tobacco products in any
				milkhouse;
2. Conduct all pickup
				and handling practices to prevent contamination of any milk contact surface;
3. Pass the milk transfer hose
				through the hose port and remove the cap from the transfer milk hose and set it
				where it will not become contaminated and then attach the transfer milk hose to
				the tank outlet valve;
4. Wash his
				hands thoroughly and dry his hands with a clean single-service towel or
				electric forced air hand dryer immediately prior to measuring or sampling the
				milk in the tank;
5. Examine the
				milk in the tank by sight and smell for any off odor or any other abnormalities
				that would render the milk unacceptable and reject the milk if necessary;
6. Record the milk producer's
				name, milk producer's identification number, the date and time of pickup, the
				temperature of the milk, the measuring rod reading, the poundage, the name of
				the purchasing organization, and the signature of the bulk milk hauler on the
				producer's weight ticket;
7. Check
				the temperature of the milk in each farm bulk cooling or holding tank at least
				once a month with an accurately calibrated pocket thermometer after it has been
				properly sanitized;
8. Turn off the
				milk tank agitator if it is running when he arrives at the milkhouse or
				milkroom and allow the surface of the milk to become quiescent;
9. Carefully insert the measuring rod, after
				it has been wiped dry with a single-service towel, into the tank and then read
				the measurement. Each bulk milk hauler shall repeat this procedure until two
				identical measurements are obtained and then shall record the measurement on
				the weight ticket;
10. Agitate the
				milk in each tank holding 2,000 gallons or less of milk a minimum of five
				minutes before collecting any milk sample;
11. Agitate the milk in each tank holding
				more than 2,000 gallons of milk a minimum of 10 minutes before collecting any
				milk sample;
12. While the tank is
				being agitated, bring the sample container, dipper, dipper container, and
				sanitizing agent, or single service sampling tubes into the milkhouse
				aseptically;
13. While the tank is
				being agitated, remove the cap from the tank outlet valve and examine for milk
				deposits or foreign matter and then sanitize if necessary;
14. Remove the sample dipper or sampling
				device from the sanitizing solution and rinse it in the milk from the tank at
				least twice before collecting any official milk sample;
15. Collect two representative samples from
				each tank after the milk has been properly agitated, transferring the milk from
				the sample dipper to the sample container away from the tank opening to avoid
				spilling any milk back into the tank, and filling the sample containers only
				3/4 full;
16. Rinse the sample
				dipper with water until it is free of visible milk and replace it in its
				carrying container;
17. Close the
				cover or lid of the bulk tank;
18.
				Identify each milk sample with the producer's patron or member number and the
				date of collection;
19. Collect at
				the first pickup for each load of milk two temperature samples and identify the
				temperature samples with the date, time, temperature of the milk, producer
				number, and name of the bulk milk hauler;
20. Place each milk sample collected
				immediately on ice in the sample storage cooler;
21. After collection of milk samples, open
				the outlet valve and start the pump to transfer the milk from the farm tank to
				the bulk milk pickup tanker;
22.
				Turn off the agitator once the level of milk in the tank has reached the level
				where over-agitation will occur;
23. Disconnect and cap the transfer hose
				after removing it from the outlet valve of the tank;
24. Observe the walls and bottom of the tank
				for foreign matter and extraneous material and record any objectionable
				observations on the weight ticket;
25. Rinse the entire inside of the tank with
				warm water while the tank outlet valve is open;
26. Use only sample containers and
				single-service sampling tubes that comply with all the requirements contained
				in Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products, 17th Edition, 2004;
				27. Cool and store all official milk samples to a temperature of 40°F or
				cooler, but not frozen;
28.
				Provide sufficient ice and water or other coolant in the sample storage cooler
				to maintain all milk samples at proper temperature;
29. Discard any milk that remains in the
				external transfer system that exceeds 45°F including any milk in pumps,
				hoses, and air elimination equipment or metering systems;
30. Protect samples from contamination and
				not bury the tops of sample containers in ice or bury sample containers above
				the milk level in the sample containers; and
31. Keep all producer milk samples that
				represent the commingled milk on the load with the load of milk until the load
				of milk has been received by a milk plant, receiving station, or transfer
				station or if rejected by a milk plant, receiving station, or transfer station
				until the milk samples are collected for official laboratory testing to
				determine the disposition of the load of milk; and
32. Deliver each bulk milk pickup tanker of
				commingled milk to a milk plant, receiving station, or transfer station within
				24 hours after the last milk pickup on the route for the bulk milk pickup
				tanker.