Dairy: Stiffer testing regime set for Ontario milk

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Starting this month, samples will be tested more frequently for composition, SCC count and freezing point estimate, to help producers manage their rations better and maximize returns

by DON STONEMAN

At the request of producers, Dairy Farmers of Ontario is stepping up its milk bulk tank testing starting June 1.

George MacNaughton, director of production at the milk marketing board, says herd managers want to be able to see their milk composition, butterfat and protein content more often, so that they can change their rations and maximize returns.

Testing for inhibitors – drug residues in milk – will remain unchanged, says MacNaughton, even though processors have asked for increased testing there as well.
Beginning in June, every milk sample will be tested for milk composition and somatic cell count (SCC).

Milk will be sampled at every pickup – 15 times in a 30-day month for most producers.
Prior to June, five of every 15 monthly milk samples were chosen randomly for testing. One sample was tested for bacteria and a broad spectrum inhibitor.

Starting in June, all samples will be tested for composition, SCC count and freezing point estimate. If the sample is in a range where there might be a violation, it is sent to another lab for confirmation. A freezing point test indicates that there might be wash water and cleaning chemicals in the bulk tank milk, MacNaughton says.

DFO will continue doing one randomly selected sample weekly for bacteria, four times as often as previously. One bulk tank sample per farm will still be tested monthly for inhibitors.

The inhibitor load testing program, run jointly with the Ontario Dairy Council, will continue as before, MacNaughton says. Dairy Farmers compensates processors $3.10 per load for testing, a program that costs farmers in excess of $500,000 a year.

MacNaughton says that the marketing board has reviewed the program from time to time over the years and producers have a good record, with just 40-odd drug violations in a year on 2,150 shipments of milk from farms every day.

"The penalties are significant," he notes. Producers are fined and the milk shipment is dumped. A violation can cost a farm $25,000 and upwards. MacNaughton cites a case where the cost to a producer was $40,000.

One of the concerns with testing milk directly from the bulk tank is that no one test will catch all inhibitors.

The test of choice is for Beta-lactams, a family of drugs that includes Penicillin and covers "the vast majority" of drugs approved for use in lactating and dry cow treatments, MacNaughton says. Anther test is necessary for sulfa-based drugs.

The stores that processors supply want a guarantee that the source of the milk is drug-free. "We agree with that in principle," he says, but to expect each farm to provide that test guarantee before shipping is not practical.

"We would like to see if we could actually get a single test that would cover all drugs, rather than just Beta-lactams," he says.

Milk is dumped if even a trace of an inhibitor is found. This is far below Health Canada maximums, which have a safety standard 1,000 less than is considered a health hazard. No one from the Ontario Dairy Council, which represents processors, was available for comment. BF