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order, would be such inspections as are necessary for the purpose of sections 3 and 4 of the act, and for investigating cases where some definite cause of suspicion exists, such as the discovery of tubercle bacilli in a sample of milk.
19. It is for each county council to decide, according to the experience available in their area, what amount of further inspection is desirable. It was not considered practicable, in view of the varying circumstances of different counties, to require in the order that county councils should undertake the regular periodical inspection of all dairy cattle. Inspection conducted on purely routine lines may not, in all cases, be the best means of attaining the objects of the act. The Minister is, however, aware that some local authorities have, in the past, carried out periodical inspections, and have been satisfied that the results were beneficial. Where these conditions exist it is suggested that the county council should consider the advisability of continuing the established practice."
119. Experience has shown that in England and Wales the execution of the minimum requirements of the order does not reduce the degree to which milk is infected with tuberculosis. In some counties* routine inspection is carried out along the lines required in Scotland. Nine counties with a cow population of 528,000 carry out routine inspection by whole-time veterinary inspectors, and eight counties, with a cow population of 199,000 by part-time veterinary inspectors, i.e., veterinary surgeons who also engage in private practice. In addition, a certain number of urban district councils undertake the periodical veterinary inspection of cattle, generally by part-time veterinary inspectors. In a few cases the sanitary inspectors themselves inspect cattle in the course of their normal inspection of cow-houses.†
(ii) The grading of milk.
120. Grades of milk are laid down separately for England and Wales and for Scotland. The only substantial difference is that in Scotland all designated milk, except pasteurised, must contain 3.5 per cent. of butter fat, whereas, in England and Wales, no special minimum is laid down, the required butter. fat content being determined as for ungraded milk. There are four designations of milk certified milk, grade A (tuberculin tested) milk, grade A milk,
See appendix 8.
+ We are indebted to the urban district councils' association for informa- tion on this point, Answers to a questionnaire sent out by that association showed that 22 councils out of 431 replying to the questionnaire employed part-time veterinary officers for the examination of about 9,000 cattle. addition, seven councils (excluding a few giving ambiguous answers) required their sanitary inspectors to examine cattle as well as cow-houses.
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and pasteurised milk. Grade A milk may also be pasteurised. The special requirements for each grade are shortly as follows:-
Certified milk is raw milk from cows which have passed a half-yearly veterinary examination and tuberculin test; it must be bottled on the farm, and not contain more than 30,000 bacteria per c.c. or any coliform bacillus in 1/10th c.c.
Grade A (tuberculin tested) milk is raw milk from cows which have passed a half-yearly veterinary examination and tuberculin test; it may be bottled either on the farm or else- where. It must not contain more than 200,000 bacteria per c.c. or any coliform bacillus in 1/100th c.c.
Grade A milk is milk from cows which have passed a quarterly veterinary examination, and may be bottled either on the farm or elsewhere. It may be raw or pasteurised; if raw, it must not contain more than 200,000 bacteria per c.c. or any coliform bacillus in 1/100th c.c.; if pasteurised, it is described as grade A milk pasteurised, and must not contain more than 30,000 bacteria per c.c. or any coliform bacillus in 1/10th c.c.
Pasteurised milk is milk which has been retained at a temperature of 145° to 150° F. for at least thirty minutes, and does not contain more than 100,000 bacteria per c.c.
121. The effect of the system of licences and grades is to provide milk of a quality maintained by a system of public inspection for those consumers who are prepared to pay for it. The cost of inspection is met, at least in part, by payments made for licences by producers and distributors and there have been complaints in some places of the heaviness of these fees, which vary widely. There are at present some 400 producers of certified and grade A (T.T.) milk in England and Wales who own between 14,000 and 15,000 cows. In addition, many herds are free of tuberculosis, but are not officially registered for the production of designated milk. In Scotland there are approximately 180 producers of these grades owning 7,500 cows. Thus, under one per cent. of dairy cows are in herds officially recognised as being free from tuberculosis. The sales of designated milk as such are far below the supply, and show no sign of expansion. More detailed information on the production of graded milks is given in appendix 9.
(c) The effectiveness of current legislation in the prevention of disease and the improvement of the milk supply.
122. The measures discussed have not appreciably reduced the incidence of tuberculosis among dairy cattle. In practice, cows are only removable under the order at a late stage, after infection has had ample chance of spreading, though in some counties the order has been interpreted to allow earlier removal. But if this interpretation was made universal, the cost to the public would be enormous and there might be a rapid contraction of the milk supply.
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