Enhanced Milk Testing Plan On Track
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to move forward with enhanced testing of bulk tank milk from dairy farms on the United States Department of Agriculture’s violator list for antibiotic residues in meat, says William Flynn, Deputy Director for Science Policy for FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine.
The milk will be tested for antibiotics other than those typically screened for milk. Rumors had been circulating that the testing would begin January 1, but that’s unlikely to happen since FDA plans another series of meetings with producer groups and processors. FDA held stakeholder meetings this past summer to discuss testing protocols. Flynn says the tests will be on bulk tank milk and will not include retail milk samples.
Some milk processors have already begun screening bulk tank milk for these drugs on their own. Land O’Lakes, for example, started screening milk in California earlier this month.
