Robert Cohen author of:
MILK A-Z
Executive Director (notmilkman@notmilk.com)
Dairy Education Board
http://www.notmilk.com
This file: http://www.notmilk.com/lawbreakers.txt
Your state may be in violation of a federal ordinance by allowing too many pus
cells in milk sold at your supermarkets. One cup of wholesome milk cannot
contain more than 50 million pus cells. That's 200 million pus cells per quart
(liter). At the end of this column you will find a chart comparing the average
number of pus cells in milk sold in
your state to other American states.
Pus in milk? A dairy cow filters ten-thousand quarts of blood through her
udder each day and uses dead white blood cells (somatic cells) to manufacture
her milk. These dead cells are pus cells. Dairy scientists are aware that when
one quart of milk is tainted with 400 million or more pus cells, some 35% of
the milking cows in the herd are infected with mastitis.
Udders bleed, discharges, including bacteria and blood drip into the milk.
The United States Department of Health and Human Services, along with the
Public Health Service and Food and Drug Administration, has established a 280
page set of protocols that is collectively referred to as:
The Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (P.M.O.)
The foreword of this all-inclusive set of rules and regulations governing
every quart of milk sold in Ameirca says:
"Occasional milkborne outbreaks still occur, emphasizing the need
for continued vigilance at every stage of production, processing,
pasteurization and distribution of milk and milk products."
It is a breath of fresh air to read an occasional governmental truism
regarding milk:
"Milk has the potential to serve as a vehicle of
disease and has, in the past, been associated with disease outbreaks of major
proportions."
This document is more than a guideline for milk producers. It's the law. In
the preface, the purpose of the P.M.O. is summarized:
"The Grade 'A' Pasteurized Milk Ordinance is incorporated by
reference in Federal specifications for procurement of milk and milk products;
is used as the sanitary regulation for milk and milk products served on
interstate carriers; and is recognized by the public health agencies, the milk
industry, and many others as a national standard for milk sanitation."
Many dairy producers have challenged the laws contained within the
all-powerful P.M.O. Courts have clearly maintained the integrity of these sets
of laws when asked to do so. On page vi of the preface, the P.M.O. states:
"The Ordinance has been widely adopted for many years and has been
upheld by court actions. One of the most comprehensive decisions
upholding the various provisions of the Ordinance was that of the District
Court, Reno County, Kansas, in the case of Billings et al v. City of
Hutchinson et al., decided May 1, 1934. In this action, the plaintiffs
unsuccessfully sought to enjoin the enforcement of the Hutchinson ordinance on
the grounds that it was unreasonable..."
The courts have repeatedly upheld the sanctity of this set of laws.
The dairy industry continues to ignore the spirit of the laws so enacted.
To date, no individual or group has challenged national enforcement of these
statutes. There is a first time for all things.
The table of contents (page vii of the preface) lists the standards for Grade
A milk, and defines "Abnormal Milk" on page 20.
The standards for Grade "A" raw milk for pasteurization define
abnormal milk this way:
"Lactating animals which show evidence of the secretion of
abnormal milk in one or more quarters (the udder is divided into four
quarters), based upon bacteriological, chemical, or physical examination,
shall be milked last or with separate equipment and the milk shall be
discarded."
The above is further explained ("Public Health Reason"):
"The health of lactating animals is a very important consideration
because a number of diseases of lactating animals, including salmonellosis,
staphloccal infection and streptococcal infection, may be transmitted to man
through the medium of milk. The organisms of most of these diseases may
get into the milk either directly from the udder or indirectly through
infected body discharges which may drop, splash, or be blown into the
milk."
What is "abnormal milk?"
The April 25, 2002 issue of Hoard's Dairyman, the dairy farmer's magazine,
addresses that question. Veterinarian Dave Linn testifies on page 341:
"According to the PMO, all milk from cows producing 'abnormal' milk
should be dumped."
Linn compares "wholesome" milk to "abnormal" milk, and
reveals insider industry standards shared by the National Mastitis Council,
United States Department of Agriculture, and Food and Drug Administration. If
cows are infected, milk is abnormal. This is a dirty secret that government
agencies conspire to keep from the dairy-eating public. Dr. Linn writes:
"Research has shown that, with a herd cell count of 200,000, there
may be as many as 15 percent of the cows infected. In herds with a 300,000
count, this figure may be as high as 25%."
("Cell count" refers to the number of somatic cells, dead white
blood cells per milliter of milk).
So, if 25% of the cows in your state are sick and producing abnormal milk
which should be dumped, and that milk is not dumped, something is seriously
wrong with the system. It is clear that some states in violation of these
rigorous milk standards.
Is your state in violation?
If the cell count is over 200,000 in your state, please send a formal
complaint to your Department of Agriculture. Start with a phone call. The
number should be in your telephone book.
How do you learn the average cell count of milk sold in your state? That's
easy. The April 25, 2002 issue of Hoard's Dairyman lists every state in
America on page 342.
ADVICE: If the count is over 200,000 in your state, the milk is unfit to drink
(by THEIR standards!).
File a complaint today.
Average Cell Count Per State (48 continental) in 2001:
(The following list contains the number of pus cells expressed per milliliter
of milk... about the size of a thimbleful. To obtain the number of pus cells
per LITER of milk [about one quart] please add three zeros to the following
numbers)
ALABAMA -
444,000
ARIZONA - 360,000
ARKANSAS - 486,000
CALIFORNIA - 298,000
COLORADO - 312,000
CONNECTICUT - 310,000
DELAWARE - 386,000
FLORIDA - 548,000
GEORGIA - 407,000
IDAHO - 320,000
ILLINOIS - 322,000
INDIANA - 343,000
IOWA - 333,000
KANSAS - 476,000
KENTUCKY - 413,000
LOUISIANA - 479,000
MAINE - 290,000
MARYLAND - 351,000
MASSACHUSETTS - 308,000
MICHIGAN - 287,000
MINNESOTA - 420,000
MISSISSIPPI - 442,000
MISSOURI - 437,000
MONTANA - 248,000
NEBRASKA - 443,000
NEVADA - 330,000
NEW HAMPSHIRE - 299,000
NEW JERSEY - 339,000
NEW MEXICO - 311,000
NEW YORK - 280,000
NORTH CAROLINA - 364,000
NORTH DAKOTA - 344,000
OHIO - 327,000
OKLAHOMA - 483,000
OREGON - 286,000
PENNSYLVANIA - 317,000
RHODE ISLAND - 206,000
SOUTH CAROLINA - 404,000
SOUTH DAKOTA - 459,000
TENNESSEE - 413,000
TEXAS - 342,000
UTAH - 284,000
VERMONT - 302,000
VIRGINIA - 333,000
WASHINGTON - 275,000
WEST VIRGINIA - 422,000
WISCONSIN - 297,000
WYOMING - 341,000
