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57
(3) The milk shall not at any stage be treated by
heat.
Further, in connection with "Certified" milk,
the producer must arrange that the cows are free from
tuberculosis as indicated by the tuberculin test, that
the herd is kept apart from other cattle, that the milk
is bottled at the farm immediately after production,
and that the bottle shall be closed with a suitable
tightly fitting disc and covered with a suitable outer
cap overlapping the lip of the bottle, and so fastened
as to form a-complete seal. The cap must bear the
name and address of the producer, the day of production
and the words " Certified Milk."
This order ought, undoubtedly, to lead to the production
and sale of a milk having a much higher
standard of purity than we have previously been able
to obtain, and, by showing that by a little care such
a standard of purity is obtainable, will undoubtedly
help to raise the standard of the cleanliness of milk
production generally, but at present two criticisms
have been directed against it which certainly have
some foundation. It is said :—
(1) That the higher price of graded milk places
it outside the range of the purse of any but
the well-to-do, particularly where it is required
in any quantity for the feeding of
infants and young children.
(2) That the elimination from these selected herds
of cows reacting to the tuberculin test, but
having no actual signs of tuberculosis, and
their transference to the ordinary herds make
it more likely that the ordinary milk from
these farms may contain tubercle bacilli.
It is an unfortunate fact that so long as it costs
more money to produce graded milk than ordinary
milk, we will need to put up with the increased cost
but whether there is any real justification in fact as
apart from theory for the second criticism I am unable
to say.