William Neuman, “F.D.A. and Dairy Industry Spar Over Testing of Milk,” The New York Times, January 25, 2011

“Each year, federal inspectors find illegal levels of antibiotics in hundreds
of older dairy cows bound for the slaughterhouse,” opens this article about
the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent decision to begin testing
milk from farms “that had repeatedly sold cows tainted by drug residue.”
Concerned that “the same poor management practices which led to the meat
residues may also result in drug residues in milk,” FDA evidently singled out
approximately 900 dairy farms for testing that would include “two dozen
antibiotics beyond the six that are typically tested for.” The new protocol also
covered flunixin, “a painkiller and anti-inflammatory drug popular on dairy
farms . . . which often shows up in the slaughterhouse testing.”

Although the plan reportedly drew support from consumer advocates like
the Center for Science in the Public Interest, it prompted a backlash from
dairy farmers and state regulators who objected to the week-long wait for
test results. According to Times reporter William Neuman, these groups feared
that the delay would force farmers to either dump large quantities of milk or
risk putting contaminated milk in consumer products, which would then be
subject to massive recalls.

“In a sharply worded Dec. 29 letter,” notes Neuman, “the top agricultural officialsof 10 Northeastern states… told the [FDA] that its plan wasbadly flawed,” inpart because massive milk dumps “could create environmental problems.” FDAhas since agreed to review its new policy,stressing that it “remains committedto gathering the information necessary to address its concern with respect to this important potential public health issue.”