Milk is safe, nutritious, and affordable

Indiana’s dairy farmers and milk processors are committed to providing you and your family with wholesome milk and dairy products. This commitment starts on the farm with top-notch animal care and extends across the supply chain -- from the milk tanker trucks to the processing plant to the grocery store -- to ensure that the dairy foods you enjoy each day are as wholesome and pure as nature intended.

All milk is strictly tested for antibiotics, and any milk that tests positive is disposed of immediately and does not get into the food supply. Dairy farmers do not use antibiotics on cows while they are in the milking herd. If cows do become ill, farmers and veterinarians may need to treat them with antibiotics, just as humans sometimes need medication when they are sick. Milk from a cow being treated with antibiotics is separated from other cows’ milk and disposed of. Only after the antibiotics have cleared a cow’s system is her milk allowed to be sold.

Antibiotics approved by FDA play an important role in helping farmers keep animals healthy, which in turn allows farmers to provide the public with safe, abundant food. More information can be found at the Animal Health Institute Web site (www.ahi.org).

All milk is strictly tested for antibiotics on the farm and at the processing plant. Any milk that tests positive cannot be sold to the public. America’s 55,000 dairy farmers have a strong track record on judicious use of antibiotics, and we support education and enforcement efforts to further strengthen that record.

Resources:

• Dairy Farming Today’s “Animal Care on Dairy Farms Fact Sheet”: www.dairyfarmingtoday.org/NR/rdonlyres/27F5890B-1A1D-4A61-8A5B-FA6AEB0C1769/0/AnimalCareOnDairyFarmsFactSheet.pdf
• NDC Dairy Council Digest, “Modern Dairy Farming Practices & Milk Quality: Myths & Facts”: www.nationaldairycouncil.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/research/dairy_council_digests/2007/dcd783.pdf
• NDC Dairy Council Digest, “Ensuring Dairy Food Quality & Safety From Farm to Fridge”: www.nationaldairycouncil.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/research/dairy_council_digests/2011/DCD11-1w.pdf
• FDA’s National Drug Residue Milk Monitoring Program: www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ComplianceEnforcement/ucm071542.htm
• Animal Health Institute:
  www.ahi.org www.ahi.org/content.asp?contentid=715
  www.healthyanimals.org/food_safety.html
• International Food Information Council (IFIC), “Questions and Answers: Animal Antibiotics, Antimicrobial Resistance and Impact on Food Safety”: www.foodinsight.org/Resources/Detail.aspx?topic=Questions_and_Answers_Animal_Antibiotics_Antimicrobial_Resistance_and_Impact_on_Food_Safety_1
• National Dairy FARM Program: www.nationaldairyfarm.com