USDA Amends Dairy Specification

July 29, 2002

USDA amended its "General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading Service" document. USDA made the changes for all producer herd milk including both cow's and goat's milk.

The maximum allowable bacterial estimate for producer herd milk has been lowered from 1 million per milliliter to 500,000 per milliliter. The follow-up procedure when producer herd milk exceeds the maximum allowable bacterial estimate has been modified, and the maximum permitted bacterial estimate in commingled milk has been lowered from 3 million per milliliter to 1 million per milliliter. For producer herd milk for cow's milk only, USDA lowered the maximum allowable somatic cell count in cow's milk from 1 million per milliliter to 750,000 per milliliter.

In addition to the above changes, USDA also updated the animal drug residue monitoring provision, and changed the keeping quality test temperature for whipped butter from 70 F to 72 F to align it with the keeping quality test temperature of butter. USDA inspection and grading services assure the quality of dairy products and are offered to the dairy industry on a voluntary basis.

A proposed rule soliciting comments to the changes was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 13, 2001. The revised General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading Service will appear in today's Federal Register. Copies are available from Susan Sausville, Chief, Dairy Standardization Branch, Dairy Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 2746-South Building, Stop 0230, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0230 or by accessing the AMS Home Page at www.ams.usda.gov/dairy/stand.htm.