Dairy Sheep Symposium - the Department of Animal Sciences ...

Grade B milk quality is as follows:
1. Standard Plate Count (SPC) shall be 300,000 per ml or less.
2. Somatic Cell Count (SCC) shall be 1,000,000 per ml or less.
3. Milk shall be free of antibiotics as determined by utilization of one of the following antibiotic
screening tests:
• Charm Bs Da
• Charm II Sequential
• Delvotest P
• Idexx Snap-BL
• Penzyme Milk Test
It should be noted that at this time there are no FDA approved drug screening tests for sheep
milk. However, these tests are approved for goat milk, and the Food Division has made the
decision that these tests are the most appropriate to be used to test sheep milk.
Milk not meeting these quality standards shall be rejected.
Permitting
Grade A farms are not only licensed, but also permitted with a grade A permit. Farms wishing
to become grade A must meet all the requirements of grade B farms plus the water supply
must be inspected and comply with NR 112. The grade A requirement is only necessary if the
milk is being processed into a grade A product. Grade A products are as follows: fluid milk,
yogurt, sour cream, cream, half and half, buttermilk, and any variation of these products.
If the grade A permit is required, and the milk or milk product crosses state lines, the farm
will also come under scrutiny by the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services and
the FDA. These agencies regulate farms through the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and the Interstate
Milk Shippers list.
The grade A quality standards for sheep milk are:
• SPC – 100,000 per ml or less
• SCC – 1,000,000 cells per ml or less
• Antibiotic tests negative
Grade A farms in Wisconsin are inspected on a “risk based” farm inspection program. Farms
are classified by on site inspections and quality counts into one of four categories each having a
different inspection frequency. The frequencies are as follows:
• Category 1 every 12 months
• Category 2 every 6 months
• Category 3 every 4 months
• Category 4 every 3 months
Inactive Farms
Normally cow dairies in Wisconsin are allowed six (6) months of dormancy or “dry status”
before the farm license is revoked. Since grade B sheep dairies are dry for approximately eight
(8) months, the Food Division has waived this rule. Grade A farms are allowed only two (2)
months of inactivity before the permit is revoked. This requirement has not been waived and
therefore grade A sheep dairies must be permitted every year.