Through its Food Safety Program, the Washington State Department of Agriculture administers a milk inspection program to maintain compliance with the Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) published by the United States Public Health Service, United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Food and Drug Administration.  The PMO is the national standard for milk sanitation, and it requires milk processing plants to be inspected at least once every three months.  Complying with the PMO allows milk to be shipped without restriction across state lines.

To fund the milk inspection program, an assessment is levied on all milk processed in the state and is paid by the operator of the first milk processing plant that receives the milk for processing, including processing plants that produce their own milk for processing.  The assessment may not exceed $0.0054 per hundredweight.  Milk processing plants whose monthly assessment for receipt of milk totals less than $20 in any given month are exempt from the assessment for that month.  Funds from the assessment may be used only for dairy inspections, and are deposited into the Dairy Inspection Account in the Agricultural Local Fund.

The assessment expires June 30, 2025.

The expiration date for the assessment on milk processed in the state is extended from June 30, 2025, to June 30, 2031.