Section 345IAC8-2-3. Manufacturing grade dairy farms; construction; operation; sanitation

   (a) Manufacturing grade dairy farms must meet the following requirements:

(1) All dairy cattle and goats must comply with IC 15-18-1-18 and current board laws relating to the control and eradication of tuberculosis and brucellosis.

(2) Cows, sheep, or goats that show evidence of the secretion of abnormal milk in any quarter shall be milked last or in separate equipment and the milk shall be discarded. Cows, sheep, or goats that have been treated with or that have consumed chemical, medicinal, or radioactive agents that:

(A) are capable of being secreted in the milk; and

(B) in the judgment of the state veterinarian may be deleterious to human health;

shall be milked last or with separate equipment and the milk disposed of as the state veterinarian may direct.

  (b) The area where milking is conducted must meet the following requirements:

(1) The milking area shall be separate from horses, calves, bulls, or maternity pens or stalls, and feed rooms or silos. The milking area shall be of adequate size.

(2) The milking area shall be provided with the following:

(A) Natural lighting or artificial lighting, or a combination of both, to furnish at least ten (10) foot-candles of light in work areas.

(B) Ventilation.

(C) Impervious floors and floor gutters.

(3) Floors, walls, and ceilings shall be constructed of a smooth, easily cleanable material that is light-colored or painted a light color and kept clean and in good repair. The outside of any milking equipment located in the milking area shall be kept clean. Surcingles, antikickers, and milk stools shall be kept clean and stored above the floor.

(4) No swine or fowl shall be allowed in the milking area.

  (c) Any person who is milking shall have clean hands and clothing. Cows' flanks, udders, and tails shall be clean at time of milking. Udders shall be washed clean, sanitized, and dried immediately prior to milking. All milk shall be strained in the milkhouse unless a straining receptacle:

(1) protected from splash;

(2) raised above the floor; and

(3) provided with a self-closing lid;

is provided. Milk being strained or carried to the milkhouse must be protected from contamination.

  (d) A milkhouse of adequate size and conveniently located shall be provided for the handling, straining, and cooling of milk, and for the washing, handling, and storing of utensils and equipment. The milkhouse must meet the following requirements:

(1) A minimum of twenty (20) foot-candles of light from natural or artificial lighting, or a combination of both, shall be provided at all work areas.

(2) Ventilation shall be provided to minimize odors and condensation.

(3) Floors shall be impervious and graded to drain.

(4) Walls and ceilings shall be constructed of a smooth, easily cleanable material that is light-colored or painted a light color.

(5) Vats shall be provided for washing and rinsing of utensils and equipment. Hot water shall be available, and water must be readily accessible.

(6) The construction of the milkhouse shall be sufficiently tight to prevent the entrance of rodents and flies. Flies shall be kept out of the milkhouse. Outer doors shall be self-closing.

(7) Liquid milkhouse wastes shall be disposed of in a manner that will preclude insect breeding or contamination of surface or underground water.

(8) The milk product contact surfaces of all multi-use containers, equipment, and utensils shall be:

(A) cleaned after each usage; and

(B) sanitized before each usage.

(9) Equipment and utensils shall be stored and drained completely so as to prevent contamination.

(10) Strainer pads, sock filters, and similar single-service articles are stored in a clean, tight cabinet or container.

(11) Multi-use milk contact equipment:

(A) must be made of smooth, nonabsorbent, and nontoxic materials; and

(B) shall be so constructed and maintained so as to be easily cleaned.

Single-service articles shall not be reused.

  (e) Only pesticides approved by the board are to be used in the milkhouse. Pesticides not approved for use in the milkhouse shall not be stored in the milkhouse.

  (f) Medicinals, antibiotics, and approved pesticides may be kept in the milkhouse only in separate tight cabinets or containers provided exclusively for their use. Pesticides must be stored in separate cabinets from animal drugs. Animal drugs must be properly labeled, and lactating drugs must be segregated from nonlactating drugs. Drugs not approved for use in dairy animals must not be used except in compliance with state and federal law.

  (g) The floors, walls, ceilings, and surfaces of all milkhouse equipment and appurtenances shall be clean. The milkhouse shall be used for milking operations only, and only those articles directly related to milkhouse activities shall be permitted in the milkhouse. Trash, animals, and fowl shall be kept out of the milkhouse.

  (h) Farms with bulk milk coolers shall provide a suitable hose port opening with a tight self-closing cover. The area under the outside of the hose port shall be surfaced with a material that will prevent soiling of the milk transfer hose.

  (i) Manure shall be handled in a manner that controls insect breeding. Manure piles or storage areas shall be inaccessible to cows. Cowyards, free stalls, and loafing areas shall be kept clean. Surroundings shall be neat, clean, and free of conditions that could result in rodent harborages or insect attractants and breeding areas. Dead livestock shall be properly disposed of promptly in accordance with requirements of the board.

  (j) The water supply for the milkhouse and for washing and sanitizing of utensils shall be:

(1) properly located, constructed, and operated;

(2) adequate;

(3) easily accessible; and

(4) of a safe, sanitary quality.

  (k) Every dairy farm shall be provided with a sanitary toilet conveniently located and accessible to those persons performing the milking operation. The toilet shall be constructed and maintained so that the waste:

(1) is inaccessible to flies; and

(2) does not pollute the surface soil or contaminate any water supply.

  (l) Raw milk from manufacturing grade dairy farms shall not be stored on such dairy farms in cans for more than forty-eight (48) hours or in a farm bulk tank for more than seventy-two (72) hours. The milk must be cooled to sixty (60) degrees Fahrenheit and maintained at that temperature at the point of origin unless delivered to a milk plant, receiving station, or transfer station within two (2) hours after milking. Auxiliary can milk storage shall not be permitted on dairy farms equipped for bulk milk cooling and storage.

  (m) Manufacturing grade raw milk must undergo the following tests and meet the following requirements, and official test results for bacteria and somatic cell count tests must be reported to the board within ten (10) business days of the sample being taken:

(1) In addition to drug residue screening of manufacturing grade milk delivered for processing as required under 345 IAC 8-4-1, at least four (4) times in any six (6) month period at irregular intervals, plants receiving manufacturing grade raw milk shall test a commingled sample of each producer's milk for drug residues. Positive test results must be reported to the board immediately. The procedures and penalties in 345 IAC 8-4-1 apply when drug residues are found in a producer's milk.

(2) Bacteriological, somatic cell, and drug residue standards shall be as follows:

(A) Manufacturing grade milk shall meet the following standards:

(i) The milk will be classified as "acceptable" if a laboratory examination to determine the bacterial estimate using the standard plate count, direct microscopic count, plate loop count, or other official approved methods indicates the presence of not more than five hundred thousand (500,000) bacteria per milliliter.

(ii) The somatic cell count, using the direct microscopic somatic cell count or other official laboratory test, shall be not more than seven hundred fifty thousand (750,000) per milliliter. However, the somatic cell count for goat's milk may not be more than one million five hundred thousand (1,500,000) cells per milliliter.

(iii) The milk shall not test positive for drug residues.

(B) Milk not meeting the standards in clause (A)(i) or (A)(ii) shall be designated as undergrade.

(C) Milk that does not meet the standard in clause (A)(iii) shall not be used for human food. It may be used for animal food if it is diverted in accordance with rules of the board.

(D) After the board designates a producer's milk sample undergrade, the following shall apply:

(i) The board will notify the buyer and the buyer will notify the producer of milk designated undergrade.

(ii) Additional samples of the producer's milk shall be tested and classified by the buyer at least monthly with the buyer immediately notifying the producer of the results.

(3) Plants receiving manufacturing grade milk shall run an official approved test on a commingled sample of each producer's milk for somatic cell count and bacteria count four (4) times in any six (6) month period. Confirmatory tests using an approved method shall be performed when the test method utilized requires confirmatory tests. Whenever the somatic cell count or bacteria test indicates undergrade milk, the procedure in subdivision (4) shall be applied.

(4) The following apply when milk is determined to be undergrade because of a somatic cell count or bacteria count in excess of the limits set forth in this section:

(A) A notice shall be sent to the producer notifying him or her of the violation.

(B) Whenever two (2) of the last four (4) consecutive tests exceed the limit for somatic cells or bacteria as the case may be, a warning notice shall be sent to the producer. The notice shall remain in effect as long as two (2) of the last four (4) consecutive samples exceed the limit. A check sample shall be taken after a lapse of three (3) days and within fourteen (14) days of the warning notice. If this sample also indicates a violation, that milk shall be excluded from the market.

(C) Whenever three (3) out of the last (5) consecutive tests exceed the limit for somatic cells or bacteria as the case may be, the farm permit will be suspended until an official sample tests below the limit and the farm passes an inspection by the board.

All milk quality tests shall be made in accordance with methods described in the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products or the Official Methods of Analyses of the Association of Analytical Chemists. Samples shall be analyzed at a laboratory approved by the state veterinarian.

(5) An examination shall be made on the first shipment of milk from producers shipping milk to a plant for the first time, or from a producer who has not shipped milk for a period of ninety (90) days. The milk shall meet all quality standards defined by this rule. Thereafter, the milk shall be tested in accordance with the procedure established for regular shippers.

(6) The milk of a producer that has been excluded due to failure to meet quality standards shall not be accepted by another plant until quality standards are met.

  (n) Before milkhouses, milking barns, stables, or parlors regulated under this rule are constructed or extensively altered, construction plans shall be submitted to the board for written approval before work is begun. (Indiana State Board of Animal Health; HDP 86 Rule 13, Sec 3; filed Apr 26, 1979, 12:00 p.m.: 2 IR 693, eff one hundred twenty (120) days after filing with secretary of state; filed Jan 29, 1986, 3:10 p.m.: 9 IR 1315; filed Apr 17, 1998, 9:00 a.m.: 21 IR 3347; errata filed Aug 13, 1998, 1:13 p.m.: 22 IR 125; errata filed Aug 13, 1998, 1:16 p.m.: 22 IR 126; readopted filed May 2, 2001, 1:45 p.m.: 24 IR 2895; filed Sep 27, 2002, 2:40 p.m.: 26 IR 335; readopted filed May 9, 2007, 3:16 p.m.: 20070516-IR-345070037RFA; errata filed Oct 3, 2008, 3:30 p.m.: 20081022-IR-345080767ACA; filed Dec 10, 2010, 10:42 a.m.: 20110105-IR-345100123FRA, eff Jan 1, 2011 [IC 4-22-2-36 suspends the effectiveness of a rule document for 30 days after filing with the Publisher. LSA Document #10-123 was filed Dec 10, 2010.]; filed Dec 4, 2014, 1:59 p.m.: 20141224-IR-345140199FRA) NOTE: Transferred from the Indiana State Department of Health (410 IAC 8-13-3) to the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (345 IAC 8-2-3) by P.L.138-1996, SECTION 76, effective July 1, 1996.