Got Milk? Got Rules!

Egg prices are going up, just as the F-D-A has begun regulating egg producers.  The recall of half a BILLION eggs, has everybody wondering about the safety of what's in their refrigerators.  But a NewsChannel 9 investigation has uncovered the ONE food item on the shelf, where regulations are the toughest in the country.  If you've "GOT MILK," you may be surprised at the extent of the regulations.

While the nation's attention is focused on the massive egg recall right now, dairy farmers like Julius Beatty have some tough regulations to follow. "We feed the cows the minerals and whatever we need to keep our cows healthy," says dairy farmer Julius Beaty.  "Healthy cows produce healthy milk."

From how the cow is handled before and during milking, the  milking process itself, the wear and tear of the equipment, the storage of the milk, the delivery, the pasteurization, even the refrigeration on the store shelves. We discovered milk is the single most regulated food in the grocery store.  Tennessee Department of Agriculture inspectors like Jeff Kirksey cannot miss much. And they don't.  While we were there, Mr. Kirksey noticed a small amount of moisture build-up inside one of the first containers that raw milk passes through.
"Anything I need to do, I tell them to just let me know," Mr. Beaty says.  "I haven't ever had any problems."

But many dairy farmers around Tennessee have.. Our investigation revealed, out of 2-thousand-94 dairy farm inspections done in Tennessee last year, 141 farm owners received warning letters for violations.. Two farm owners had their milk production licenses, suspended.  Out of 65-hundred-66 milk samples taken, 390 warning letters were sent out concerning bacteria, infections, water or antibiotics in the milk.. 87 milk producers got civil penalties, and 22 of them had their licenses suspended.  Inspector Kirksey says, those are the exception, rather than the norm.  "We have a working relationship with both the industry and the farmers," Mr. Kirksey says, "and we're here to try and help them out, to make their milk as fresh as possible."

Freshness and safety, suits one fourth-generation dairy farmer, just fine.  "It's just a regular everyday routine around this farm," Mr. Beaty says.  "We try to do the best we can do every day."

Right now, farmers cannot sell raw milk directly to consumers, but this year, Tennessee passed a law allowing, "cow-sharing," where people can purchase a cow and share the raw milk amongst themselves.  But Inspector Kirksey says, remember that un-pasteurized milk, could contain harmful bacteria..