It is the responsibility of every producer to ensure that milk made available for pick-up meets the provincial guidelines. Non-Qualifying milk could be rejected at the farm or after farm pickup.

Milk rejected at the farm – There is no payment for milk and no penalty

A person who transfers milk from a farm holding tank to a tank truck shall leave the milk in the farm holding tank (reject pickup) where, in his or her opinion, that milk:

  • Is found to be adulterated, contaminated, is abnormal in odour, contains excessive sediment, objectionable matter or physical defects of any kind, or is not consistent with good quality milk
  • Would, if transferred into the tank truck, be of detriment to the milk in the tank truck or to subsequent transfers of other milk into the tank truck
  • Exceeds 4 degrees Celsius
  • Is unmeasurable. Volume cannot be determined as milk does not reach the farm holding tank stick
  • Visible butterball(s)
  • Contains foreign objects

Milk taken from cattle within three weeks before parturition, or during the first three days after, shall be deemed to be unsanitary or of abnormal composition and shall not be sold or offered for sale.

Milk rejected after Farm Pickup (usually at a plant) – No payment for milk and a penalty is applied

This includes but is not limited to:

  • Milk rejected at a processor.
  • Milk found positive during official or random testing, regardless if the corresponding load of milk was rejected at a processor or not.
  • Any milk found to contain the presence of inhibitors/antibiotics.
  • Milk that is found to be adulterated, contaminated, is abnormal in odour or colour, contains excessive sediment, objectionable matter or physical defects of any kind, or is not consistent with good quality milk, including foreign objects, black specks or blood.

 It is important to remember that responsibility and potential liability do not vanish after the milk leaves the farm. 

Milk Containing Inhibitor/Antibiotics

A producer whose milk has been found to contain veterinary drug residues or inhibitory substance residues is not permitted to sell or supply milk until a subsequent bulk milk sample taken from the farm bulk milk tank tests negative. Following a positive test result:

  1. Shipments are immediately suspended for the offending producer.
  2. A producer is required to test their milk and notify the BCMMB that their milk is free and clear of all inhibitory substances (or your transporter if after regular office hours) before shipping can resume.
  3. It is the producer’s responsibility to inform the BCMMB to resume pick up.
  4. The BCMMB will test a sample from the first pick up following an infraction. A positive test result will be considered a subsequent infraction and the producers’ shipments will be suspended until a negative test result is reported.

This process is repeated until the BCMMB’s test result is negative for drug residue. Confirmation tests on the positive samples will be performed when possible.

Notifying Producers of Incident

Producers need to be notified as quickly as possible that their milk tested positive for antibiotics/inhibitor. When an incident occurs during non-business hours, at a processor that will not test producer samples, the BCMMB staff will have the load and producer samples tested at a third-party location on approved testing equipment. If a producer(s) sample tests positive this would be considered an infraction to that producer(s). Samples would be sent for confirmatory testing next business day.

A subsequent Non-Qualifying Milk infraction will not be levied until the producer has been informed of the positive test result. Once informed, the penalties will compound until the BCMMB obtains a negative test result.

Delaying Milk Pick-Up

If a producer delays his regular milk pick up time to have his milk tested any additional charges to the BCMMB for this delay will be passed directly on to the applicable producer.

British Columbia Milk Marketing Board Inhibitor/Antibiotics Penalty System 

The penalty system is based on the number of infractions on a rolling 12-month period. All fines, penalties and expenses are collected by the BCMMB through a deduction from the producer’s next payment. 

First Infraction

  • No payment is made to the offending producer for the volume of milk shipped on that day
  • $20.00 per hectoliter penalty on the volume of milk the producer shipped on that day
  • All logistical and testing costs incurred including, but not limited, to the following:
    • 100% of the disposal costs including direct disposal costs as well as any after-hours or overtime fees and any and all other charges that are incurred as a result of disposing non-qualifying milk
    • Confirmation test costs
    • Courier charges incurred transporting samples
    • Trailer washing charges

Second and subsequent Infractions 

  • No payment is made to the offending producer for the volume of milk shipped on that day
  • $60.00 per hectoliter penalty on the volume of milk the producer shipped on that day
  • All logistical and testing costs incurred including, but not limited to, the following:
    • 100% of the disposal costs including direct disposal costs as well as any after-hours or overtime fees and any and all other charges that are incurred as a result of disposing non-qualifying milk
    • Confirmation test costs
    • Courier charges incurred transporting samples
    • Trailer washing charges

A penalty is based on the total volume of milk shipped that day regardless if milk is split between more than one trailer or compartment and one or more trailers or compartments is not rejected by the processor.

Testing facilities are scarce. Ensure you have access to testing equipment for the drugs you use on your farm available when needed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Kelly Harris at 604-854-4479 or kharris@bcmilk.com

Updated February 2020