[Reports and Appendices] of the Irish Milk Commission, 1911.

  • Great Britain. [Royal] Commission on the Irish Milk Supply.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: [Reports and Appendices] of the Irish Milk Commission, 1911. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service. The original may be consulted at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archives Service.

    844/1108 (page 34)
    1[ 34 The Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milkshops Order. (64) Much of the contamination that takes place before the milk reaches the consumer can be prevented by a strict enforcement of the Dairies, Cowsheds, and Milkshops Order of 1908. We found that where the Order has been strictly en-l forced a great improvement has already taken place in the milk supply, and its universal application and administration would secure the same satisfactory results. This Order applies to all vendors of whole milk. Its general purpose is to secure {a) the inspection of the cattle of purveyors of milk, (b) the housing of dairymen'i cows in sanitary conditions, (c) the cleanliness of milk shops, stores and vessels, and {d) the observance of precautions for protecting milk against infection or con- tamination. The Order imposes two specific obligations, viz., (1) on every cow- keeper and purveyor of milk to be registered ,as such by the local authority; (2) on the local authority to appoint as many inspectors as may, in the opinion of the Local Government Board, be necessary for the enforcement of the Order. By a subsequent General Order made by the Local Government Board in 1909, local authorities may be required to appoint a qualified Veterinary Surgeon as Veterinary. Inspector foi the discharge of certain specific duties. Briefly it may be said that the strict enforcement of these Orders would secure (except so far as a deliberate attempt on the part of the cowkeeper or dairyman to evade inspections was successful) the following :— j (1) The discovery of dairy cows having tuberculous udders; i (2) The housing of cows in properly lighted, drained, and ventilated byres; ' (3) The cleansing of the byres at least once daily; (4) The cleaning of the udders and flanks of cows before being milked; (5) Cleanliness on the part of the milkers as regards their hands and clothesl when milking cows; (6) The provision of a clean water supply for watering dairy cattle and the cleansing of milking utensils; (7) The cleanliness of milk stores or shops, and milk vessels; (8) The prevention of contamination of milk by forbidding it to be kept in any living room, or where it will be exposed to impure air or contact with any person suffering from infectious disease; (9) The notification by a purveyor of milk of the existence of infectious or contagious disease on his premises or amongst persons employed in his business, and the cessation of the sale of milk by him until the medical officer of health shall have declared the premises or persons to be frei from infection. i It will thus be seen that local authorities are empowered to prevent all, o| nearly all, the contamination that takes place in the farmyard and much that occurs^ in milkshops. Unfortunately, the Orders are inoperative in part or in whole iai many districts, because of the laxity of the local authority, and we refer hereaftel to the means to be adopted to ensure a systematic and uniform administration o| the Orders. J Licensing versus Registration of Cowkeepers and Milk Vendors. ■ (65) As we have mentioned, cowkeepers and milk vendors are required undei the Order to apply to the local authority for registration, the object being to brinf- these persons under the observation of the District Council by means of its Inspectors| Fawcett,2f39]. The local authority has no power to refuse registration on the-ground that thJ J. M. Barry', ' applicant's premises are unsuitable, and if there is any failure to comply with! 8872-5. ^YiQ provisions of the Order the remedy of the Council is in the last resort to prose- cute the offender. The magistrates then may take a lenient view of the case and by the imposition of small fines may make the Order of little or no effect. This procedure seems to us to be cumbrous, uncertain, and possibly ineffective. We Recommendation, recommend therefore that all milk vendors in County Boroughs and urban districts