Canadian Quality Milk On-Farm Food Safety Program - Centre ...

Canadian Quality Milk
7.2 MILK HOUSE
The milk house is the final on-farm site for quality control. The
The milk house is often
following Best Management Practices should be followed in the the first area that visitors
milk house:
(consumers) see when
Use it exclusively for cooling and storing milk, and for
touring or driving by your
dairy operation. That first
cleaning, sanitizing and storing materials and equipment used
impression can determine
in the production and handling of milk. If other items are stored their overall perception of
in the milk house, they must not pose a food safety hazard. the quality and cleanliness
Store approved chemicals and products used in the milk house of your product.
in a location and manner that will not contaminate milk. Also
ensure that containers are in good condition and properly labelled (e.g. to be
compatible with the cleaning and sanitizing chart).
Ensure the milk house and external surfaces of the milking and milk storage
equipment are kept clean (e.g. bulk tank and gasket around man-hole must be
clean; milk house must be free of unnecessary clutter).
A functioning safety switch or fail-safe system (for Automatic Milking Systems) must
be in place to avoid accidental entry of water and cleaning chemicals into the milk.
The safety switches prevent the wash system from turning on unless the swing pipe
is removed from the bulk tank. If you have a manually operated clean-in-place (CIP)
system, you must have a safety device as well (e.g. plug for the sink is attached to
the swing pipe so that sink cannot be plugged unless the swing pipe is detached
from the bulk tank).
Remove all mercury thermometers or vacuum columns from the milk house. Mercury
vacuum gauges can be replaced by mercury-free dial or digital gauges, which do not
pose a health risk. Please contact your local hazardous waste depot to dispose
of any mercury thermometers or vacuum gauges! Even if a mercury
thermometer or vacuum gauge is not in use, it still must be removed.
Ensure that any lights located near the man-hole on the bulk tank have protective
coverings or that the bulbs have a protective safety coating.
Broken glass from lights located near the man-hole on the bulk tank is another
hazard to stored milk. Some milk houses have low roofs and long dip-sticks,
increasing the possibility that the milk truck driver will smash a light when checking
the level of the milk in the bulk tank. Florescent tubes have also been known burst
on their own. It is also recommended to cover lights located near the wash sink.
Ensure clear drains in milking centre. Milk room drains must handle milking
equipment and bulk tank wash water. They must have an easily cleaned gas trap to
keep waste odours out of the milk house and milking centre. Drains should be
cleaned regularly to avoid blockage of the drain. It is recommended that drains be
located a minimum of 60 cm (2 feet) away from the outlet of the bulk tank and not be
placed under the tank (this is regulation in some provinces). This allows for easy
access and avoids contamination of the tank outlet.
7—10
June 2010