Milk temperature becomes an issue

Thursday, April 8, 2010

by SUSAN MANN

Processors have asked Dairy Farmers of Ontario to support changing provincial regulations so that milk plants would be allowed to reject loads warmer than 6 C.

Such a regulation could result in plants rejecting whole truck loads. All dairy farmers would share the costs through their producer organization, says David Nolan, director of marketing logistics for the marketing board.

Currently bulk tank milk graders can’t reject milk in farm tanks based on temperature.

Dairy Farmers has a policy that milk in a farmer’s bulk tank must be 4 C or cooler at the time of pick up, he says. If it’s warmer than 4 C, Dairy Farmers field staff visit the farmer to ask why.

There are no plans to change that policy that policy and Nolan says it “remains to be seen.” if graders will be given the authority to reject milk warmer than 6 C at farms.

Tom Kane, president of the Ontario Dairy Council, says currently temperature isn’t one the criteria for rejecting milk loads listed in the provincial Milk Act. But the Canadian Food Inspection Agency has required all HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certified plants to reject milk that exceeds 6 C for more than five years. There are about 24 HACCP-certified plants in Ontario.

HACCP is a process to manage hazards that affect food production. It’s used to identify potential hazards and implement stringent actions at critical control points in the production process to reduce or eliminate the hazard from occurring.

Currently HACCP-certified plants reject three to four loads of milk a year because of temperature, Nolan says. Depending on the load’s temperature (for example if it’s at 6.5 C or even 7 C, Dairy Farmers will offer the milk to a non-HACCP plant. Some plants will take that milk, he explains.

Asked if Dairy Farmers supports the processors’ request for a regulation change, Nolan says the board is not opposed to it.

A standard operating procedure for taking load temperatures at plants is needed. Processors currently “use many different means of taking the temperature,” he says. Dairy Farmers wants to be assured processors are all using a similar method to take load temperatures “and it’s being done accurately.”

Dairy Farmers also has to look at its procedure when a load is rejected for high temperatures and assess if it needs to be changed.

Nolan adds Dairy Farmers doesn’t believe loads rejected for high temperatures will be a big problem “because we don’t think that many loads are over six degrees (Celsius).” If a load of milk is being rejected for high temperatures, it would be at the plant.

Kane says he didn’t know when the new regulation on temperature would become effective. A request for the change has been submitted to the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.

John Johnston, general manager of the Ontario Milk Transport Association, says he understands it will become effective this summer.

Nolan says he’d be surprised if the regulation became effective this summer. “Historically changes in regulations don’t happen that quickly.”

For its part, the Transport Association is waiting for direction from Dairy Farmers. “They basically have to set the rules that we follow,” Johnson says.

“If there’s going to be rejection at the plants on temperature then Dairy Farmers are going to have to decide how they’re going to manage that at the farm,” he explains. BF