It gets better (Raw milk fiasco)

[JeffNY]

I would post in the others, but this has to do with something slightly different. My mother pointed out something while we were cleaning the barn. Something we didn't think of at the time. None of the inspectors washed their feet coming and going here, none put on any full arm protection before taking a sample (they reach in the tank). The same inspector that came that day, also went to another farm. She came here at 11am, where was she prior to this? She also inspects other farms, not just raw milk. Makes you wonder.


So what am I going to do? Well I have some knowledge about cameras, surveillance, etc. I caught my cousin doing something we asked him not to do (was hunting related). I am going to set a camera in the milk house, it will be hooked to the computer we have in the barn. I have a really handy program, called "Gotcha". It is motion activated, it records a video, then saves it once motion is detected. It is very accurate. So when they come back, when they take another sample, they better follow protocol. If they dont, I will e-mail them the video, I will then tell them "If you dont publicily appologize to the farms who came back with "Listeria". This video will go public, showing your inspectors breaking protocol". This would get them into more trouble, than us. It will go to show, they didn't follow protocol. How they would counter that, is beyond me. Because a video doesn't lie.


Jeff

[emiliozapata]

well hopefully they dont monitor the board

[gone-a-milkin]

Nothing to be ashamed of, IMO. How are your clients handling this Jeff? Do they still want your milk? Are they scared? I read those newspaper articles, and they Could have been Worse. I dont blame you for being P.O.ed...

[Ken Scharabok]

Don't you have the right to be present at inspections and to insist the inspectors follow the protocol to the specific letter?

[JeffNY]

I want to see them, view them to see if they are being kosher. Sure I could do that, but, we'll see what they do.


Our customers? They dont care, they want the milk...



Jeff

[Jillis]

Most people I know who do dairy farming, if they are concerned about visitors of any kind, not just inspectors, will have a basin of bleach water for them to step in with a stiff bristle brush handy to it. Or they have plastic slip on booties for them to use.
I do agree with you, Jeff, that the inspectors should use protocol.
But if you are concerned yourself, you would make sure they used it in your parlor and on your farm.
Just like the time a doctor came out of room with rashy kids and I always watch to see if they wash their hands. She didn't, and before she touched my kids, I requested her to.
You do bear some of the repsonsibility in this. I don't know if you are genuinely concerned or just want something to nail them with.
I don't mean any of this in an obnoxious way at all, so please don't take it so.
Jill.

[fordson major]

most farms here use virkon as a boot wash (acid base) and yep they should have followed procedure, nope you should not rile them! they can find all sorts of things! have too keep your temper when working with these types, video monitoring could be an invasion of privacy. monitor the inspector but point out too them what you feel is wrong (can get heated) and if that don't work go up the ladder internally (may need lawyer). our neighbor had a state of the art cheese plant for their swiss and constantly had inspectors and bureaucrats through the plant, after 10 years they gave up, mostly due too property taxes that out striped the income but also stress from inspectors.

[Terry W]

If it is any help--

Video monitoring your barn is your right-- after all, don't stores and other businesses have the monitoring, or at least the appearance of a camera present? How the camera is triggered is your business, not theirs. And you know what-- you may be trying to find out where some of the milk is dissappearing to......('Leaky' Bulk tanks)

The USDA, EPA, and all other govmint entities have some VERY thick publications that outline protocols for sample collection and processing-- AND, they are to enforce, NOT interpret.

Oh, by placing a complaint, not naming names,(only giving a general location) I was able to get a USDA egg inspector to the 'enforcement' rather than 'interpret' mindset. Since I do not, as of yet, produce eggs, I had no obvious agenda when I made the complaint about the inspector- but I did mention "religion" and "chosen lifestyle" being used as a prejudice against the egg producers that were not issued the license. They have their licenses now, and the market is demanding more!!!

[JeffNY]

You can put cameras anywhere on your property. In the barn, being our property, a "hidden" camera is not really invasion of privacy. They walk in our milk house, and when they do that, it is our property. The thing you cant do, is record someone without them knowing. Now people do tap phones etc, but they get a court order to do so. But if your using surveillance video, on your property, different story.


As far as washing their boots. It is their responsibility to do that, not mine. They are coming here, they are supposed to have a bucket, with soap and use it. Ideally they should have to wash before they enter the milk house, and before they leave the milk house. They dont was prior to entering. Whent they sample, they dont wear arm protection. It isn't my responsibility to enforce it. A farmer friend of ours, who doesn't take crap from anyone was telling us of a story. He was flunked for his milk house being cluttered. Well he spent a lot of time cleaning it up, getting things so they weren't cluttered. The inspector comes back, and fails him for his coat being in the milk house, a coat! Well, that was pretty much the breaking point. He got ranting, raving, he was ticked. The inspector that was there (not the state), walked out because brian was going on and on. What did brian do next? He said "wheres your bucket?". Inspector said "out in the trunk", "no your supposed to have the bucket with you, since you dont have your bucket, I pass". He did pass. So following protocol is what they are supposed to do. Not doing so, thinking they are above the law is wrong.


So, the question remains, will they wash before they leave? I doubt they washed coming. Before writing this response, they are here, and came up saying "the receiving jar isn't washing properly". I love that, considering not too long ago, I did a complete cleaning. Once again, finding something that 'could' be the problem. The important thing is to realise, that inspector reaching in to take a sample, two farms same day, hr apart, have the same exact results. The test taken on Monday, came back negative. Funny, if it was in the line, part of the cows, etc, it would be in that test too. What the video shows, is them not being clean, shows they could have contaminated the milk. Also get this, they take a sample before we fill up. They could easily contaminate the tank, which results in someone getting sick, thus making us liable, because of something they did.


I think the best course of action is to pull the permit, so I dont have them coming, and inspecting. Because I wont change my practices for them, considering the screw up they made.


Jeff

[JeffNY]

Get this!



These people are idiots, and I did get it on video. While they were here, they looked over the system, etc etc. Well he lifted out the stick to check around it, your not supposed to run your finger anywhere with milk in the tank. But here is the kicker, he lifts the ENTIRE lid up to look in the tank, WITH milk in the tank. That is BS, and like I said, it is on video. I called my inspector for dairylea, and he said your not supposed to lift the lid up with milk in the tank. The drivers do this just prior to pumping it out, but not before they test. Strange stuff indeed.


Jeff

[HazyDay]

I would force them to wash there boots hands etc and even spray a disinfected on their clothes boefore they stepped one foot in my barn. And then get them to scrub their arms andgloves before they take a sample. IF they say no demand a new tester. Do the video and show it on the news, net, etc. No one should not know this!

[JeffNY]

Ill get the video off that computer today, and cut it down to show him doing that. Its going to be spread, because that little instance could easily contaminate the milk. They dont wear gloves from what someone said at Ag and Markets.


We tested a Jersey we have, when we began milking her, etc. We took a sample from each teat. The results came back with staph. How did we do that test? We didn't wear gloves, or use alchohol. It was human error, and it came off our hands. The contaminate likely came from her hands, or clothing. Still would like to know where she was prior to testing here and the other farm.


Jeff