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“When pasteurization was first put into effect, every possible effort was exerted by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the dairy industry to determine just what was
necessary for clean and safe milk production. After extensive experiments it was
discovered what those requirements should be, the four most essential factors being:
1) Sterilized utensils.
2) Clean cows with clean udders and teats.
3) The small-topped milk pail (the newer milking machines have the pail
completely covered).
4) Refrigeration at 50 degrees after milking.”
“Other important factors were found to be clean and healthy milk handlers and an
unpolluted water supply. Wherever these recommendations have been observed, the
results have been excellent. In fact, through these experiments it was learned that any
farm and any farmer can, with proper incentive, produce clean milk.”
Mandatory pasteurization was debated from its inception. Procedures for producing safe
raw milk were established long ago. Therefore consumer demand for both raw and
pasteurized dairy products can be met with a safe starting product, i.e. raw milk produced
hygienically. Other elements for safe milk production also mentioned in the article are
bacteria count limits for raw milk and cattle testing for tuberculosis and brucellosis (when
these diseases were still prevalent).
Health Canada Senate evidence
On June 6 1996, the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry convened to
consider regulatory amendments banning raw milk cheese, published in Part I of the
e.htm). Said amendments were subsequently abandoned, in part because of a unanimous
resolution passed by the National Assembly of Quebec “which reads exige du
gouvernement. It is more than a demand. It orders the Canadian government not to
continue with these regulations.” And in part by commercial opposition from “the young
raw milk cheese industry in Quebec. They argued that this proposal was no more than a
further federal attack against Quebecers.”
Dr. Joost Harwig, Director, Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, presented the
following evidence. “We have seen Canadians become ill from salmonellosis and what
we call Verotoxigenic E. coli, both of which are found in raw milk, even though raw milk
consumption is very low in Canada. It constitutes about 1 per cent of all fluid milk
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