Hygiene on the Dairy Farm

Aim of the Article:

This simple and practical Dairy Hygiene article has been produced to assist you, as food business operators, to achieve the standards of hygiene required to conform with the legislation, as it applies to milk production holdings. Each section clearly identifies the specific

requirements of the Regulations. Any advice included in the blue areas is considered good practice, and although not required in legislation it offers the FBO further assurance to compliance.

A Diary is included to help you document and maintain effective records, which will aid you in producing safer food, which will minimise the risks to your business and the consumer.

Key Sources of Contamination:

Milk can be contaminated at any point in the milk production process. It is the responsibility of the food business operator (milk producer) to identify these points and implement control measures to protect milk from contamination. The key sources of contamination are:

• Faeces, from soiled animals, especially teats, udders and tails.
• Bacteria, from poor milking practices, soiled hands, inadequately cleaned and disinfected equipment (including bulk milk tanks), and failure to clean and disinfect teats prior to milking.
• Failure to detect abnormal milk (mastitis pathogens, blood and clots).
• Foreign bodies, especially from perished components in milking machines and bulk tanks, dust, bedding materials, dung, insects and animal hair.
• Chemicals, metals, organics, etc., from veterinary product residues, cleaning chemicals and use of non-food grade equipment.

To Reduce the Risk of Contamination:

Animal Health

• Milk must come from animals that are in a good general state of health.
• Milk from animals showing signs of udder disease must not be used for human consumption.
• Milk from animals undergoing medical treatment must not be used for human consumption before the end of the prescribed withdrawal period.

Animal Cleanliness

• All animals should be kept clean.
• All lying areas should be of sufficient size and should be kept clean and dry.
• Passageways and access routes should be free from accumulations of dung, slurry and mud.
• Fields, tracks and gateways should be well maintained and kept free from accumulations of dung, slurry and mud

Milking Practice

• Milk from each animal must be examined for physical/chemical/ organoleptic abnormalities and where abnormal milk is detected this milk must be rejected.
• Teats, udders and adjacent parts must be clean before milking.
• Hands, contact surfaces and milking equipment must be kept clean at all times.

Contamination of Raw Milk:

Milking Equipment

• Milk contact surfaces must be appropriately cleansed and disinfected immediately after each milking.
• All equipment must be kept clean and in good condition.

Milk Storage and Cooling

• Milk must be protected from contamination during transfer and storage.
• Milk must be cooled immediately (to not more that 8oC in the case of daily collection, or not more than 6 oC if collection is not daily) to minimise bacteria multiplication.
• Bulk tanks must be cleaned and disinfected after each milk collection and kept in good condition.

Animals & Housing:

Where there is evidence that an animal is not in good health and especially where there is a discharge from the genital tract, enteritis with diarrhoea, fever or an infection of the udder, the milk must not be used for human consumption. Milk from cows failing a test for Brucellosis or from those which have lost their Official TB Free Status must not be used for human consumption.

• Animals must have clean teats, udders and adjacent parts (flanks, hindquarters, tails and abdomen) before milking.
• Housing must be managed to avoid soiling of the animals.
• Milk from animals that show a positive reaction to a Tuberculosis (TB) or Brucellosis test must not be used for human consumption.
• Milk for human consumption must come from animals that are in good health with no udder lesions likely to contaminate the milk

Cleanliness Management

Besides good design and management of the housing, there are several measures which can be implemented to improve animal cleanliness:

• Trim or clip tails at housing and turn-out. Cows with a clean, trimmed tail will attract fewer flies.
• Flaming of udders and/or clipping of flanks, bellies and udders reduces the amount of soil or faeces which can adhere to these areas.
• Remove dirt manually and encourage grooming with cow brushes
• Clean animals are more likely to remain disease free and at milking time, are less likely to contaminate the milk with harmful bacteria.
• Consider altering diets to minimise loose dung.

Milking Area:

• The milking area must be sited and constructed to ensure satisfactory hygienic conditions during milking.
• The milking area and immediate surroundings must be kept clean.
• Sufficient potable water (or clean water where appropriate) must be available in the milking area for the cleaning of soiled teats and udders, equipment, hands, fittings and floors, during and after milking.

Structure

• Design features must minimise the risk of contamination from any source, including dust, flies, birds or other animals. Open parlours can be accepted in situations where hygiene risks are minimised and very high standards of management are maintained. They are not permitted if birds gain access or where there is excessive dust contamination from adjacent areas. A parlour that can be properly sealed off from other buildings is the best practice.
• Floors should be impervious to water and free draining. Sufficient fall from the area under the udder is important to ensure this area can be kept clean and free from pooling during milking.
• Doors and walls should be smooth, impervious and easy to clean. For walls, good quality, smooth cement rendering is adequate. Alternatives are available including sealed plastic cladding, smooth concrete panels or direct bonding fibreglass.
• Suitable facilities must be available near the place of milking to enable operators milking and handling milk to wash their hands and arms.
• Roof or loft floors should be made of dust proof sheet material and be easy to clean. Any false ceiling should be of an impervious material and steps must be taken to prevent vermin infestation in the void.
• Sufficient ventilation is required to provide clean air and avoid condensation.
• Artificial lighting is essential to provide good visibility for all milking and cleaning operations.
• Ideally strip lights with shatterproof and waterproof diffusers.
• All drainage should discharge to a suitable drainage system.

Milking Operations:

A good milking technique is essential for the production of safe, raw milk.

• Teats, udder and adjacent parts must be clean before cluster attachment.
• Teat dips/sprays must be used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
• Milk from each animal must be examined at each milking.
• When identified, abnormal milk must be kept separate and not used for human consumption.
• Milk from animals showing clinical signs of udder disease must be kept separate and not used for human consumption.
• Animals producing milk that is unfit for human consumption must be clearly identified.
• Milking equipment must be kept clean at all times.
• Hands must be cleaned before milking and kept clean during milking and milk handling. Exposed skin wounds must be hygienically covered.

Milk Storage Area:

As a food storage area, the milk storage room needs to be managed to minimise the risk of contamination at all times.

• The approach and surrounds must be kept clean.
• Doors should be kept closed.
• Vermin, birds and other animals must be excluded.
• The milk storage room must be kept clean at all times.
• The structure of the milk storage room must not expose milk to the risk of contamination.
• The milk storage room should not be used for purposes other than the cooling and storage of milk, and the cleaning and storage of milking equipment.

General Considerations:

• Adequate measures must be taken to control insects, rodents and birds on the premises to avoid contamination.
• Animals must be isolated if they are infected, or suspected of being infected, with any disease transmitted to man through milk.
• All staff engaged in milk production must be trained in food hygiene, health risks and use of equipment.
• Appropriate records must be kept on feed supplies, veterinary products, disease that may affect the safety of the milk, and any results of samples and checks made on animals or their products.
• Sufficient clean or potable water must be available in the milking area for the cleaning of soiled teats and udders, equipment, hands, fittings and floors, during and after milking.

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