A Susquehanna County dairy farmer was surprised by a recent positive bacteria test, and she was shocked by how the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture handled the matter.
On May 5, the department issued a warning saying consumers should discard “A Joy” brand raw milk products following a test confirming the presence of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in jugs at the farm’s store in Little Meadows.
According to the news release, the producer refused to issue a recall, post a notice or supply a customer list for direct notification.
The release also said that no illnesses linked to the contaminated milk have been reported.
Listeria can cause listeriosis, an illness that can cause fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea. Listeriosis mainly affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems.
Abbie Evans, owner of A Joy dairy, said the department’s accusation that the farm refused to cooperate in the process isn’t accurate.
The situation surfaced in April during a routine pathogen test that’s conducted twice a year, Evans said. Her family milks 40 Brown Swiss cows and is licensed to bottle and sell raw milk. The remainder of the milk produced on the farm is shipped to a processor.
A week after the test, the state called to inform her of the positive result. By then, she said, most of the purchased milk was likely consumed, yet she didn’t get any reports from customers about being sick.
She said she still reached out to customers and told them to dump any milk they had remaining.
Evans said she has no idea where the bacteria came from, but she replaced hoses and anything else in the barn that could harbor microbes, and she sanitized the entire milking system.
As upsetting as the situation is, Evans said it was even more alarming to read the accusations levied against the farm in the Ag Department press release.
Evans said she didn’t refuse to do any of the things described in the department press release and she was given conflicting guidance from agency personnel.
“I asked specifically if I had to post a recall notice because I wanted to talk to my customers directly,” she said. “They said I didn’t have to. They said they would issue a recall with the press release.”
Evans added that she didn’t refuse to provide a customer list either. Rather, she didn’t keep one because she wasn’t aware it was needed, but she did tell the inspector she had a prepaid customer list.
She also let her customers know about the situation in person and on the farm’s Facebook page.
“When you read the department’s release, they make it sound like I wasn’t going to tell our customers anything. They make it out like I’m a criminal,” Evans said. “I didn’t refuse to do any of the things they claim and the inspector said I complied with everything.”
Shannon Powers, press secretary for the Ag Department, said the state issues a notice when a producer is not able to notify all of their customers.
“Such warnings are necessary to ensure that consumers who drink unpasteurized milk are made aware when the products they have purchased have tested positive for bacteria that can harm their health,” Powers said in an email response to questions.
Evans said she was told by the state inspector that she can’t bottle raw milk. The remaining samples from the positive test are still in a refrigerator on the farm.
The farm needs two clear tests before it can sell raw milk again, and Evans said the samples will be collected soon.
Source: lancasterfarming.com
Photo Credit: istock-tanyasid
Categories: Pennsylvania, Livestock, Dairy Cattle