Guideline
development
within Dairy
Practices Council
(DPC) is unique
and requires
several levels
of peer review.
The first step
in the process
of guideline
development
starts with
a Task Force
subcommittee
made up of individuals
from industry,
regulatory and
education interested
in and knowledgeable
about the subject
to be addressed.
Drafts, called
‘white copies’,
are circulated
until all members
are satisfied
with the text.
The final white
copy may then
be distributed
to the entire
task force,
DPC Executive
Board, state
and federal
regulators,
education members,
industry members
and anyone else
the DPC Executive
Vice President
and the Task
Force Director
feels would
add to the strength
of the review.
Following final
white copy review
and correction
the next step
in the process
requires a yellow
cover draft
that is circulated
to the member
Regulatory Agency
representatives
that are referred
to as “Key Sanitarians”.
The Key Sanitarians
may suggest
changes and
insert footnotes
if their state
standards and
regulations
differ from
the text. After
final review
and editing
the Guideline
is distributed
in the distinctive
DPC green cover
to people worldwide.
These guidelines
represent the
state of the
knowledge at
the time they
are written.
» read
abstracts on
all guidelines
A
four step summary
of the process
follows:
1. Each Task Force prepares appropriate guidelines.
2. Upon completion of a guideline by a Task Force,
the Executive Vice President forwards the document to
the Key Sanitarian in each member state for his/her
approval, comments and/or exceptions.
3. The Executive Vice President, working
with the Task Force Directors and participating state regulatory agency
representatives (Key Sanitarians), considers the differences among
the states and note exceptions in the approved guidelines.
4. The approved guidelines are sold individually and sent
to all members as a benefit of their membership including:
a) Individual Members
b) Supporting State Departments
of Agriculture or Health for issue to dairy sanitarians
c) Supporting Cooperative Extension
at Land Grant Universities for issue to Cooperative Extension agents
d) Sustaining members, which includes
dairy field representatives, plant managers, laboratory personnel, etc.
e) FDA Milk Safety Branch
» learn about membership & our current members
Task Force work sessions are scheduled for the afternoon sessions of the Annual Conference that is always held Wednesday through Friday of election week in November. Additional work is accomplished by individuals and groups who arrange their own meetings.
Robert E. Graves, Ph.D,
Penn State University
University Park, PA
Tel: 814-865-715
Activities and guidelines of this Task Force involve buildings and equipment
for dairy operations. Systems include designs for handling cows, feed, milk,
ventilation air and manure.
Director:John
Partridge Ph.D, Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Michigan
State University, East Lansing, MI
Tel. 517-355-8460
The mission of this Task Force is to develop meaningful guidelines for procedures
and equipment involved in dairy plant operations to promote uniformity between
states.
Jeffrey M. Bloom,
Johnson Diversey, Newtown, PA 18940
Tel. 215-504-0152
The charge of Task Force III is to provide the dairy industry with updated
information on quality assurance procedures pertaining to the production and
handling of raw and processed dairy products. Guidelines developed by this
Task Force cover topics relative to laboratory quality control, product evaluation
and trouble-shooting procedures. Methods of assuring quality through good
production and manufacturing practices are also covered, often in conjunction
with Task Force II. These guidelines reference state and federal quality assurance
requirements as well as provide additional information and procedures that
go beyond regulations for ensuring even greater quality dairy products.
Les Wood, California Dept. of Food & Agriculture, Santa Rosa, CA
Tel: 707-527-6383
The mission of Task Force IV concerns communication and
uniformity between states. Guidelines from Task Force IV
reflect that mission. Any DPC guidelines that are based
on or include information concerning Regulations and
Standards stated in the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO)
must be revised and kept consistent with any changes made
by the National Conference of Interstate Milk Shippers (NCIMS).
Guidelines concerning inspections include DPC #36 Dairy
Farm Inspection and DPC #39, Grade A Milk Plant Inspection.
Both of these are updated after every NCIMS meeting.
This task force has also been assigned the responsibility
of guidelines dealing with HACCP.
Director: Miles
Beard, IBA, Inc., Shippensburg, PA
Tel. 717-423-6824
Task Force V addresses the DPC guidelines relating to milking system design,
equipment and facility function and cleaning. Guidelines are periodically
updated and new guidelines are developed as needed.
Director: Lynn
S. Hinckley, Director, Conn. Mastitis Control Lab, Univ. of Connecticut,
Storrs, CT
Tel. 203-486-4982
Force is to develop guidelines pertaining to all aspects of production and
processing for dairy goat and sheep operations. Guidelines are currently under
development for milking systems, somatic cell counts, antibiotics, disease
control and housing issues.