The Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1995

PART II

Raw milk standards

1.  Raw milk at the time of its collection from a licensed production holding for its acceptance at a treatment or processing establishment shall not contain—

(a) any added water,

(b) antibiotic residues in excess of the levels authorised in Annexes I and III of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2377/90 on Community procedure for the establishment of maximum residue limits of veterinary medicinal products in foodstuffs of animal origin(1), as amended(2) nor contain any combination of such substances in excess of a value to be fixed in accordance with that Council Regulation; or

(c) residues of substances having a pharmacological or hormonal action, or pesticides, detergents or other substances which are harmful or which might alter the organoleptic characteristics of dairy products or make their consumption dangerous or harmful to human health insofar as those residues exceed permitted tolerance limits.

2.  In addition to the requirements specified in paragraph 1 above—

(a) raw cows' milk intended for the production of heat-treated drinking milk, fermented milk, junket, jellied milk, flavoured milk or cream shall meet the following standards:—

Plate count at 30°C (per ml)	≤ 100,000
Somatic cell count (per ml)	≤ 400,000

(b) raw cows' milk intended for the manufacture of any dairy products other than those referred to in sub-paragraph (a) above shall meet the following standards:—

	From 1.1.94	From 1.1.98
Plate count at 30°C (per ml)	≤ 400,000	≤ 100,000
Somatic cell count (per ml)	≤ 500,000	≤ 400,000

(c) raw cows' milk intended for the manufacture of any milk-based product (made with raw milk) which has not undergone any heat-treatment during its manufacture shall meet the following standards:—

Plate count at 30°C (per ml)	≤ 100,000
Somatic cell count (per ml)	≤ 400,000
Staphylococcus aureus (per ml)	n = 5, c = 2, m = 500, M = 2000

(d) raw goats', ewes' or buffaloes' milk intended for the production of heat-treated drinking milk or for the manufacture of heat-treated milk-based products shall meet the following standard:—

	From 1.1.95	From 1.12.99
Plate count at 30°C (per ml)	≤ 3,000,000	≤ 1,500,000

(e) raw goats', ewes' or buffaloes' milk intended for the manufacture of any milk-based product which has not undergone any heat-treatment during its manufacture shall meet the following standards:—

	From 1.1.95	From 1.12.99
Plate count at 30°C (per ml)	≤ 1,000,000	≤ 500,000
Staphylococcus aureus (per ml)	n = 5, c = 2, m = 500, M = 2000

3.  For the purposes of the tables set out in paragraph 2 above, the symbols referred to shall have the following meanings:—

• n = number of sample units comprising the sample;

• c = number of sample units where the bacteria count may be between ‘m’ and ‘M’, the sample being considered acceptable if the bacterial count of the other sample units is ‘m’ or less;

• m = threshold value for the number of bacteria, the result is considered satisfactory if the number of bacteria in all sample units does not exceed ‘m’;

• M = maximum value for the number of bacteria, the result is considered unsatisfactory if the number of bacteria in one or more sample units is ‘M’ or more.

4.  The occupier shall ensure that—

(a) compliance with the standards for raw cows' milk referred to in paragraph 2(a)(b) and (c) above in relation to somatic cell count is checked by random sampling, either

(i) on a representative sample of the raw milk collected from each production holding; or

(ii) until 1st July 1997, on acceptance of the raw milk at the treatment establishment or processing establishment;

(b) compliance with the standards referred to in paragraph 2 above in relation to plate count and Staphylococcus aureus is checked by random sampling of a representative sample of the raw milk collected from each production holding;

(c) the plate count at 30°C is calculated on the basis of a geometric average over a period of two months, with at least two samples a month; and

(d) the somatic cell count is calculated on the basis of a geometric average over a period of three months, with at least one sample a month.

(1)

OJ No. L224, 18.8.90, p.1.

(2)

Relevant amending instruments are Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2701/94 (OJ No. L287, 8.11.94, p.7) which contains consolidated texts of Annexes I, II, III and IV to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 2377/90 and Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2703/94 (OJ No. L287, 8.11.94, p.19).