Questions

• Can cows, which have been treated with antibiotics, be milked into the traditional milk bucket?
• Can the milkhouse to parlor door be a screen door?
• Can screens be used to separate two adjacent rooms, one of which is the milkhouse?


• Do milkhouse doors have to open outward?


• How big should the surface under the hose port be?


• What kinds of pesticides can I use in the milkhouse, and what kind can be stored there?


• Where should I store my milk filters?


• Do I have to sanitize the teats of the cow before I put on the milker unit?


• How often do I have to scrape the loafing shed or change cow bedding?


• Do I have to hose down my holding pen after every milking?


• What must be done for a water system to pass inspection?

1. Can cows, which have been treated with antibiotics, be milked into the traditional milk bucket?

Yes, if the milk bucket does not draw its vacuum directly from the milk line. The vacuum must come off a separate line. If the milk line is also your vacuum line, this is not acceptable because overflow from the bucket will go directly into the milk line. Ultimately, the safest method is to have separate herds for treated cows and untreated cows. The treated cows should be milked last, or with completely separate equipment.

2. Can the milkhouse to parlor door be a screen door?

No, the milkhouse to parlor door must be tight fitting and solid. It can be double acting, but it must be self-closing, and it must be solid.

3. Can screens be used to separate two adjacent rooms, one of which is the milkhouse?

Yes, but both rooms would be considered as a part of the milkhouse, and both must be constructed and maintained in the same sanitary condition as a milkhouse.

4. Do milkhouse doors have to open outward?

No, they do not have to open outward. However, if a screen door is, attached, the screen door must open outward.

5. How big should the surface under the hose port be?

The surface under the hose pod should be large enough to allow the milk haulers to manipulate their milk pickup hose without letting the hose become soiled. Each must be evaluated on its own merit.

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6. What kinds of pesticides can I use in the milkhouse, and what kind can be stored there?

Only pesticides with specific directions for use in the milkhouse can be used or stored in the milkhouse. All pesticides must have an EPA registration number on their labels. No pesticide, including automatic intermittent dispensers, can be used during milking time. All milk and milk contact surfaces must be protected during pesticide use.

7. Where should I store my milk filters?

Strainer pads, parchment papers, gaskets, and similar single service articles are stored in a suitable container or cabinet and protected against contamination and in a location convenient to their use.

8. Do I have to sanitize the teats of the cow before I put on the milker unit?

Sanitizing of the teats shall not be required if the udder is dry and the teats have been thoroughly cleaned (not dry wiped) and dried (manually wiped dry) prior to milking. The determination of what constitutes a dry udder and cleaned and dried teats shall be made by the regulatory agency.

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9. How often do I have to scrape the loafing shed or change cow bedding?

The loafing area should be scraped often enough to control excessive fly growth in summer. Otherwise, the cleanliness of the cows is the guide that should be followed. If the cow's udders, flanks and bellies are dirty, scraping should be done more often. Likewise, if udders, flanks and bellies are dirty, free stall bedding should be changed more often.

10. Do I have to hose down my holding pen after every milking?

Yes, if you have an open-ended parlor. If your parlor only has three walls, with the holding pen opening into the cowyard, the holding pen is considered part of the parlor. The parlor must be cleaned after each milking. If doors at the end of the parlor area are kept shut, the area outside the parlor is considered to be a part of the cowyard. The cowyard must be maintained to control fly breeding and prevent the soiling of the cows' udders and flanks.

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11. What must be done for a water system to pass inspection?

The Washington State Department of Health regulates water systems. Maintaining a water system is a constant challenge due to the continual changes as repairs and additions are made to piping and valving schemes.

Six-month intervals between inspections of a water system are probably too long. To avoid a violation, frequent checks of the system should be made. This means that the owner of the facility must become familiar with potential areas of violation. An effort should be made to walk through the system with a Food Safety Officer or fieldman so that he or she can explain what to look for.

Two key areas should be reviewed for possible violations:

• Cross connections need to be identified and eliminated. A nonpotable or unsafe water system cannot be directly connected to a potable or safe -water system. If at all possible, an air gap system should be installed. Special valves or piping schemes may be necessary if an air gap cannot be installed. Each system must be evaluated on an individual basis.
  Well construction should be maintained so that the water system (the well and piping) and the source of the water in the ground are always protected from contamination.
   
• The key to answering questions related to water systems lies in knowing exactly what constitutes a cross connection and what the requirements are for proper well construction. This can only be addressed through the regular inspection of the water system.

All well casings must be completely sealed and all openings capped or caulked. No openings into the well are allowed. All unused vents should be sealed or screened to protect from insects and rodents. The well casing itself must not have any breaks down to the level where the water is obtained. The space outside the steel wall casing must be sealed with the proper sealing clay. All piping must be installed so that contaminated water cannot be drawn into the potable water system.

The most common violation is located at the' cow watering trough. In this case, the water inlet must be at least two times the inlet pipe diameter above the maximum flood level of the tank. There are a variety of valves that will accomplish this, and each valve has to be considered individually. As a general rule, make sure that if water were to be sucked back through the system toward the well, no water from the cow troughs could possibly get into the pipes.

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