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Raw milk producer in SD told to stop selling it
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture is advising anyone who purchased raw milk produced by Black Hills Milk of Belle Fourche to not drink it and has ordered the dairy to stop selling it.
The ag department says campylobacter bacteria was found in a sampling of the dairy’s unpasteurized milk. Raw milk producers in South Dakota who sell to the public must have permits and be subject to a minimum of one inspection a year and monthly samples.
Darwin Kurtenbach, the Dairy Program administrator with the South Dakota Department of Ag, tells Brownfield Ag News, “The only thing their permit allows them to sell from the South Dakota Department of Ag is the raw milk. It doesn’t allow them to sell any raw milk products other than the straight fluid milk.”
The raw milk was sold at locations in the Black Hills area including a retail outlet in Spearfish and the Black Hills Farmers Market at Founder’s Park in Rapid City. Consumers are advised to discard or return the milk. Kurtenbach says there have been no reports of illness associated with the raw milk so far. Campylobacter infection causes intestinal problems and can lead to kidney failure and other complications. Complete test results of the raw milk are pending. Kurtenbach assures consumers that pasteurized milk in South Dakota is completely safe to drink.
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