Maine Dairy ProgramHow to get a Dairy LicenseBy: Linda Stahlnecker

Maine’s Dairy Industry Seen a marked decrease in dairy farms

700 Farms in 1994 now have 249 in 2016 But a marked increase in artisanal cheese, yogurt and retail raw milk,

why?Local Foods; value added; natural; sourceProducing food for family and neighborsIncreasing demand and reputation

Maine has second highest artisanal cheese producers in the US

Maine – A Dairy Friendly StateWashington, D.C. – The National Association of

State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) has released updated results from a Raw Milk Survey. 7/19/2011

Sales of licensed raw milk at retail stores separate from farm – Just 12 States allowing:

AZ, CA, CT, ID, ME,  NH, NM, NV, PA, SC, UT, WA

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Maine's Small Dairy Industry Growth

Raw Milk

Cheese

What Products Are Covered by a Dairy License?

All Retail Dairy Products All Wholesale Ice Cream All Dairy Containers

Who is Behind all This Dairy Production?

Maine Made Dairy Products

One of EACH TYPE of product: All BF levels for fluid

License Overview

Completed Dairy License Application License Fee sent in with Application (usually $25.00) Completed, Satisfactory Inspection by Dairy Inspector Satisfactory Water Sample Animal Health Requirements met (TB & Brucellosis) Approved Product Label

I. Licensing Step 1 Call Meagan Damon at 287-2618 to have a Dairy Licensing Packet mailed to you.

Tell Meagan what region of the State you live in – get contact information for YOUR Dairy inspector.

Contents of Your Dairy Licensing Packet

Cover letter – summary of requirements Application for Milk Distributor License Addendums for source of supply Product List – what you plan to sell Animal Health Requirements Raw Milk Production: Guidelines (sanitation, procedures, etc.) Standards for Milk and Milk Products (lab tests) Sample Plant Inspection Form Clorox Service Bulletin on Sanitation Pre-dipping Milking Procedure Treating your well when it fails Maine Milk Rule Distribution Form – where your products are sold (retailed)

License Application

Fill in completely Call if you need help Include all sources of supply

and permitted producers Include all types of dairy you

might produce Include all distribution sites

Fill in completely Call if you need

help Include all sources

of supply and permitted producers

Include all types of dairy you might produce

Include all distribution sites

License FeesMilk Distributor License Fee Schedule

 Annual sales or distribution over 25 million pounds - $300.00 Annual sales or distribution of 10-25 million pounds -

$150.00 Annual sales or distribution of 1-10 million pounds - $100.00 Annual sales or distribution of 100,000 to 1 million pounds -

$50.00 Annual sales or distribution of less than 100,000 pounds

$25.00  Sales and distribution of milk and/or milk products are for

within the State of Maine only.

II. Licensing Step 2 Call YOUR dairy inspector for a facility review and a water

test.

Inspectors: Renee Blais - 592-2491

renee.blais@maine.govRenee covers Central Maine and the County

Tanya Farrington-Thomason - 557-0841 tanya.farrington-thomason@maine.gov

Tanya covers Southern and Western Maine Beth Williams – 441-3205

Beth.Williams@maine.govBeth covers Central Maine and DownEast

Renee Tanya Beth

Our Dairy Inspectors’ Love for Animals - this sums it up!!

III. Licensing Step 3 – 1st Inspection & Water Test Equipment and buildings must be cleanable and properly

constructed

Ability to protect from contamination

Plans to create production records – VERY IMPORTANT!

Storage of all equipment

Approved water supply – MUST have a clean water test! Ability to keep cold milk temperatures

Barns:

Milking Stations:

Cow Parlors – stationary and portable

Bulk Tanks – Milk Collection

Sinks and Dairy Production Areas

Storage – Clean and Organized

Refrigerated Storage

IV. Veterinary Testing

Tuberculosis Testing

All not pasteurized products: Whole herd test (all animals over 6 months) every 3 years

All pasteurized, heat-treated and aged products: Animals must be from a TB-free area

(Maine is currently TB free – so if you pasteurize, heat-treat, or age your products, TB testing is unnecessary)

Brucellosis Testing

Cow products (pasteurized and not pasteurized) : BRT- Brucellosis Ring Test on whole herd

twice each year – at no charge

All other hooved mammal products (pasteurized and not pasteurized) :

1) Annual whole herd/flock test OR

2) Initial whole herd /flock test followed by all outside or new additions

OR3) If herd is larger than 50, see pg. 62 of Milk Rule

V. Send in Dairy Application Fill out dairy application and provide check (usually $25.00) At this point you may want to send in some “unofficial”

samples of your dairy products for testing. This is a good practice to identify any sanitation issues early on.

VI. Product Label Approval• Name of Farm

• Address of Farm

• Name of Product

• Product identified as:

“Pasteurized” or “Not

Pasteurized” (if not listed,

“pasteurized” is understood)

• Cheese aged greater than

60days, greater than 35F can

be labeled “Aged”

• “Heat-Treated” or “Raw” may

also be added

• (Cheese, butter, frozen

desserts and non-pasteurized

products cannot be stated:

“Grade A”)

• Type of animal: cow, goat,

sheep, etc. (if not listed, cow

is understood)

• Lot #_______

• Quantity, Volume or Weight of

Product: _________

• List of Ingredients (listed by

predominate weight first)

VII. I have a license – now what?YOUR Responsibilities Annual License Renewal – fill out application and send in fee Maintain facility and equipment. Inspections at least every year (more often if

problems) Keep production logs up to date and available for inspection (pasteurization, heat

treatment, batching of lots) Annual Water Test – post results in processing room Provide representative products to dairy inspectors of EACH product (type, process

and butterfat level) in their final RETAIL form on a monthly basis (nearly monthly) Maintenance of Annual Animal Health testing and records

BusinessYou may sell your dairy products in any retail setting.

STANDARDS FOR MILK AND MILK PRODUCTS

TestingRegulated Tests (Milk Rule & PMO):Standard Plate Count (Petrifilm Aerobic Count):

Total aerobic bacteria count provides a picture of overall sanitation (higher counts = earlier spoilage) STD ≤ 50,000/ml for NPW

Coliform Count (Petrifilm Coliform Count):

Total Coliform bacteria count provides evidence of environmental contamination (higher counts = higher risk of illness and pathogens)STD ≤ 10/ml

Direct Microscopic Somatic Cell Count (DMSCC) “The number of somatic cells in raw milk provides a measure of the presence and the extent of mastitis or certain other abnormal milk secretions - one way of assessing raw milk quality.”17th ed. Standard Methods

STD ≤ 750,000 cells/ml for cows ≤1,500,000 cells/ml for goatsAntibiotics (DELVO Test P 5 Pack & Charm S-L):

“Drug residues may trigger hypersensitivity reactions in susceptible individuals, cause quality problems for cultured products manufacturers, and promote resistance in bacteria populations” 17th ed. Standard Methods

Phosphatase, Dairy Waters, Containers, TC

Quality Tests (not regulated)Butterfat (FT120): Very accurate IR test

Whole STD: ≥3.25%

Total Solids (FT120):Includes fat, protein (casein & lactalbumin), carbohydrate (lactose) and minerals (incl. calcium & phosphorus)Whole STD: ≥11.75%

Solids non-fat (FT120):Includes protein (casein & lactalbumin), carbohydrate (lactose) and minerals (incl. calcium & phosphorus)Reduced fat, lowfat, skim STD: ≥8.25%

Protein (FT120) goat samples onlyFreezing Point (Cryoscope):

Measures added water. Base line freezing point for raw milk is .540°Hortvet Repetitive violations – adulterated product

Assistance

Dairy Inspectors – Tanya Farrington-Thomason: 557-0841 & Renee Blais: 592-2491 & Beth Williams 441-3205

University of Maine Extension – Gary Anderson: 581-3240 University of Maine Food Scientist Specialist – Beth Calder: 581-

2791 MQL – Linda Stahlnecker: 287-7623 & Diana McKenzie: 287-7627 Maine Cheese Guild – Eric Rector: 525-3104 Other Small Dairy Businesses – lots of resources!!