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ungraded milk is of recognised hygienic quality; the grades should be replaced
by one Special Grade, the maximum bacterial count of this grade should vary
according as the milk was "bottled on the farm" or "not bottled on the
farm"; there should be a minimum standard of cleanliness and bacterial
content for raw milk and particularly for milk going to pasteurisation, and a
penalty should be imposed if the milk is below standard; there should be
official control of the bacterial content of the milk after pasteurisation and
the process itself should be automatically controlled and temperature charts
available for inspection by the local authority; repasteurisation should be
prohibited.
Two of the three unsatisfactory samples referred to above came from the
same producer. It is the custom of this firm to make a bacteriological examination
of their milk supplies each day. A bacteriological test, however, takes
48 hours to complete, so that the milk has been sold and consumed long before
its cleanliness or otherwise is known. It enables them, however, to eliminate
the farmers who are supplying unsatisfactory milk. Interesting details of a
successful attempt to improve the farmers' supplies were given by this firm.
Lectures were given to 12 farmers and their employees, and each farmer was
supplied with a wooden sterilising box to fit over the copper. The bacterial
counts of the milk varied from .30,000 to 832,000 per ml. before the experiment.
After the farmers had been taught to sterilise their utensils the
bacterial count varied from 516 to 24,240 per ml. (less than the present
standard for Certified Milk).
These trained farmers visited other farms. In one case after milking
by the home farmer the bacterial count was 3,000,000 and Bacillus Coli present
in ml. The visiting farmer then carried out a milking with his own
sterilised machine and utensils. The bacterial count was 1,900 per ml. and
B. Coli was absent in 1 ml. Before the bacterial count was made the
milk was allowed to stand at atmospheric temperature for 22 hours and the
inoculations were made on a special agar medium which would give as high
a count as possible. It should not be left to an individual firm to carry out
this pioneer work. In business life everyone has to be trained for and is
required to know his particular work. Surely it is not too much to expect,
in the case of such a vitally important food as milk, that dairy farmers should
be required to produce evidence that they have had tuition in the methods
of clean milk production. Milk is very easily contaminated, and rigid cleanliness
together with sterilisation of utensils and machines is necessary in order
to ensure that the consumer receives a satisfactory supply.