SSB 6377 -
By Committee on Economic Development, Agriculture & Trade
ADOPTED AS AMENDED 03/01/06
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that chapter 15.36
RCW includes the regulation of raw milk and raw milk products including
arrangements known as "cow shares" in which one or more individuals
purchase one or more shares in a milk-producing animal in return for a
portion of the milk that is produced. The legislature also finds that
the agencies charged with protecting public health and safety need to
have strong enforcement mechanisms and be able to respond rapidly,
comprehensively, and effectively. It is not the intent of this act to
prohibit either the sale of raw milk or cow share or similar
arrangements by producers and processors who are properly licensed
under chapter 15.36 RCW.
Sec. 2 RCW 15.36.012 and 1999 c 291 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
For the purpose of this chapter:
"Adulterated milk" means milk that is deemed adulterated under
appendix L of the PMO.
"Colostrum milk" means milk produced within ten days before or
until practically colostrum free after parturition.
"DMO" means supplement I, the recommended sanitation ordinance for
grade A condensed and dry milk products and condensed and dry whey, to
the PMO published by the United States public health service, food and
drug administration.
"Dairy farm" means a place or premises where one or more cows,
goats, or other mammals are kept, a part or all of the milk or milk
products from which is sold or offered for sale ((to a milk processing
plant, transfer station, or receiving station)).
"Dairy technician" means any person who takes samples of milk or
cream or fluid derivatives thereof, on which sample tests are to be
made as a basis of payment, or who grades, weighs, or measures milk or
cream or the fluid derivatives thereof, the grade, weight, or measure
to be used as a basis of payment, or who operates equipment wherein
milk or products thereof are pasteurized.
"Degrade" means the lowering in grade from grade A to grade C.
"Department" means the state department of agriculture.
"Director" means the director of agriculture of the state of
Washington or the director's duly authorized representative.
"Grade A milk processing plant" means any milk processing plant
that meets all of the standards of the PMO to process grade A
pasteurized milk or milk products.
"Grade A pasteurized milk" means grade A raw milk that has been
pasteurized.
"Grade A raw milk" means raw milk produced upon dairy farms
conforming with all of the items of sanitation contained in the PMO, in
which the bacterial plate count does not exceed twenty thousand per
milliliter and the coliform count does not exceed ten per milliliter as
determined in accordance with RCW 15.36.201.
"Grade A raw milk for pasteurization" means raw milk produced upon
dairy farms conforming with all of the same items of sanitation
contained in the PMO of grade A raw milk, and the bacterial plate
count, as delivered from the farm, does not exceed eighty thousand per
milliliter as determined in accordance with RCW 15.36.201.
"Grade C milk" is milk that violates any of the requirements for
grade A milk but that is not deemed to be adulterated.
"Milk" means the lacteal secretion, practically free of colostrum,
obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy cows, goats, or
other mammals.
"Milk hauler" means a person who transports milk or milk products
in bulk to or from a milk processing plant, receiving station, or
transfer station.
"Milk processing" means the handling, preparing, packaging, or
processing of milk in any manner in preparation for sale as food, as
defined in chapter 69.04 RCW. Milk processing does not include milking
or producing milk on a dairy farm that is shipped to a milk processing
plant for further processing.
"Milk processing plant" means a place, premises, or establishment
where milk or milk products are collected, handled, processed, stored,
bottled, pasteurized, aseptically processed, bottled, or prepared for
distribution, except an establishment that merely receives the
processed milk products and serves them or sells them at retail.
"Milk products" means the product of a milk manufacturing process.
"Misbranded milk" means milk or milk products that carries a grade
label unless such grade label has been awarded by the director and not
revoked, or that fails to conform in any other respect with the
statements on the label.
"Official laboratory" means a biological, chemical, or physical
laboratory that is under the direct supervision of the state or a local
regulatory agency.
"Officially designated laboratory" means a commercial laboratory
authorized to do official work by the department, or a milk industry
laboratory officially designated by the department for the examination
of grade A raw milk for pasteurization and commingled milk tank truck
samples of raw milk for antibiotic residues and bacterial limits.
"PMO" means the grade "A" pasteurized milk ordinance published by
the United States public health service, food and drug administration.
"Pasteurized" means the process of heating every particle of milk
or milk product in properly designed and operated equipment to the
temperature and time standards specified in the PMO.
"Person" means an individual, partnership, firm, corporation,
company, trustee, or association.
"Producer" means a person or organization who operates a dairy farm
and provides, sells, or offers milk for sale ((to a milk processing
plant, receiving station, or transfer station)).
"Receiving station" means a place, premises, or establishment where
raw milk is received, collected, handled, stored, or cooled and
prepared for further transporting.
"Sale" means selling, offering for sale, holding for sale,
preparing for sale, distributing, dispensing, delivering, supplying,
trading, bartering, offering a gift as an inducement for sale of, and
advertising for sale in any media.
"Transfer station" means any place, premises, or establishment
where milk or milk products are transferred directly from one milk tank
truck to another.
"Wash station" means a place, facility, or establishment where milk
tanker trucks are cleaned in accordance with the standards of the PMO.
Sec. 3 RCW 15.36.111 and 1999 c 291 s 6 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) The director shall inspect all dairy farms and all milk
processing plants prior to issuance of a license under this chapter and
at a frequency determined by the director by rule: PROVIDED, That the
director may accept the results of periodic industry inspections of
producer dairies if such inspections have been officially checked
periodically and found satisfactory. In case the director discovers
the violation of any item of grade requirement, he or she shall make a
second inspection after a lapse of such time as he or she deems
necessary for the defect to be remedied, but not before the lapse of
three days, and the second inspection shall be used in determining
compliance with the grade requirements of this chapter. Whenever there
is any violation of the same requirement of this chapter on the second
inspection, the director may initiate proceedings to degrade, suspend
the license, or assess a civil penalty.
(2) One copy of the inspection report detailing the grade
requirement violations shall be posted by the director in a conspicuous
place upon an inside wall of the milk tank room or a mutually agreed
upon location on a dairy farm or given to an operator of the milk
processing plant, and said inspection report shall not be defaced or
removed by any person except the director. Another copy of the
inspection report shall be filed with the records of the director.
(3) Every milk producer and milk processing plant shall permit the
director access to all parts of the establishment during the working
hours of the producer or milk processing plant, which shall at a
minimum include the hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and every milk
processing plant shall furnish the director, upon his or her request,
for official use only, samples of any milk product for laboratory
analysis, and a true statement of the actual quantities of milk and
milk products of each grade purchased and sold((, together with a list
of all sources, records of inspections and tests, and recording
thermometer charts)).
(4) The director shall have access to all parts of a dairy farm or
facility that is not licensed as a milk producer or milk processing
plant if the director has information that the dairy farm or facility
is engaged in activities that require a license under this chapter.
The director shall have access during the working hours of the dairy
farm or facility, which shall at a minimum include the hours from 8
a.m. to 5 p.m. The director shall have the authority to take samples
of milk or any milk products and water and environmental samples for
laboratory analysis. For all establishments subject to this subsection
and subsection (3) of this section, the director shall have access to
records including, but not limited to, customer lists, milk production
records, temperature records, and records of inspections and tests.
(5) If the director is denied access to a dairy farm or milk
processing plant, the director may apply to a court of competent
jurisdiction for a search warrant authorizing access to the property
and facilities for purposes of conducting tests and inspections, taking
samples, and examining records. To show that access is denied, the
director shall file with the court an affidavit or declaration
containing a description of his or her attempts to notify and locate
the owner or the owner's agent and to secure consent. Upon
application, the court may issue a search warrant for the purposes
requested.
Sec. 4 RCW 15.36.511 and 1999 c 291 s 24 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) It is unlawful for any person to:
(((1))) (a) Interfere with or obstruct any person in the
performance of official duties under this chapter;
(((2))) (b) Employ a tester, sampler, weigher, grader, or
pasteurizer who is not licensed as a dairy technician;
(((3))) (c) Alter or tamper with a seal placed by the director;
((or)) (d) Alter or tamper with a sample of milk or milk products
taken or sealed by the director; or
(4)
(e) Operate as a milk producer or milk processing plant without
obtaining a license from the director.
(2) Except as provided under RCW ((15.35.131)) 15.36.131, it is
unlawful for a milk processing plant to accept milk from a person not
licensed as a producer or milk processor.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 A new section is added to chapter 15.36 RCW
to read as follows:
The director may issue a cease and desist order to any person whom
the director has reason to believe is engaged in an activity for which
a license is required by this chapter. The person to whom such notice
is issued may request an adjudicative proceeding to contest the order.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 A new section is added to chapter 15.36 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) When the director has probable cause to believe that milk or
milk products are being sold, distributed, stored, or transported in
violation of this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter, the
director may issue and serve upon the owner or custodian of the milk or
milk products a written notice of embargo and order prohibiting the
sale of the milk or milk products. If the owner or custodian is not
available for service, the director may attach the notice of embargo
and order prohibiting sale to the container holding the milk or milk
products. The milk or milk products shall not be sold, used, or
removed until this chapter has been complied with and the milk or milk
products have been released from embargo under conditions specified by
the director in writing.
(2) The department may issue a destruction and disposal order
covering any embargoed milk or milk products. The destruction and
disposal shall occur at the cost of the owner or custodian.
(3) The person to whom the notice of embargo and order prohibiting
sale was issued or the person to whom a destruction or disposal order
was issued may request an adjudicative proceeding to contest the order.
(4) A state court shall not allow the recovery of damages from an
administrative action under this section if the court finds there was
probable cause for the action.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 A new section is added to chapter 15.36 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) It is unlawful for any person to sell raw milk from a dairy
farm that is not licensed as a milk producer or a milk processing plant
under this chapter.
(2) The sale of raw milk from a dairy farm that is not licensed as
a milk producer and a milk processing plant under this chapter
constitutes:
(a) For the first offense, a misdemeanor; and
(b) For the second and subsequent offenses, a gross misdemeanor
punishable according to chapter 9A.20 RCW.
(3) Neither the issuance of a cease and desist order nor payment of
a civil penalty relieves the person so selling raw milk from criminal
prosecution, but the remedy of a cease and desist order or civil
penalty is in addition to any criminal liability.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 (1) The legislature finds that small-scale
dairies have varying degrees of familiarity with statutory and
regulatory requirements and the range of acceptable methods they can
use to meet those requirements. The legislature therefore directs the
department of agriculture to convene a work group to identify and help
resolve obstacles faced by small-scale dairies in their efforts to
become licensed as milk producers and milk processing plants.
(2) The director of the department of agriculture shall include in
the work group representatives of small-scale and conventional dairies,
public health officials, the cooperative extension, industry
associations, consumers, and other stakeholders as the director deems
appropriate. Representatives from the department's food safety and
small farms direct marketing programs shall staff the work group.
(3) The work group shall:
(a) Identify barriers to small-scale dairies in achieving
licensing;
(b) Examine potential solutions to those barriers that are
size-appropriate and economically feasible;
(c) Identify sources of technical assistance and information on
best management practices; and
(d) Recommend other actions that will assist small-scale dairies to
become licensed.
(4) By December 1, 2006, the department of agriculture and
representatives of the work group shall report on their work and
recommendations to appropriate standing committees of the legislature."
Correct the title.