97.24 Milk and milk products.

(1) Definitions. In this section:

(a) “Dairy farm" means any place where one or more cows, sheep or goats are kept for the production of milk.

(am) “Dairy plant" has the meaning given in s. 97.20 (1) (a).

(ar) “Fluid milk product" means cream, sour cream, half and half, whipped cream, concentrated milk, concentrated milk products, cottage cheese, skim milk, flavored milk, buttermilk, cultured buttermilk, cultured milk, yogurt, vitamin and mineral fortified milk or milk products, and any other product made by adding any substance to milk or any of these products.

(b) “Grade A milk" means milk which is produced, processed and distributed in compliance with grade A standards established by the department by rule under this chapter.

(c) “Grade A milk product" means a fluid milk product which is produced, processed and distributed in compliance with grade A standards established by the department by rule under this chapter.

(d) “Milk distributor" has the meaning given under s. 97.21 (1) (e).

(e) “Milk hauler" means any person, other than a milk producer hauling his or her own milk only, who transports milk or fluid milk products to or from a dairy plant or a collecting point.

(f) “Milk producer" means any person who owns or operates a dairy farm, and sells or distributes milk produced on that dairy farm.

(2) Requirements for milk and fluid milk products; grade A requirement.

(a) No person may sell or distribute any milk unless that milk is produced, processed and distributed in compliance with standards established by the department by rule under this chapter.

(b) No person may sell or distribute any milk or fluid milk products which are not grade A milk or grade A milk products to consumers, or to any restaurant, institution or retailer for consumption or resale to consumers. Grade A milk and grade A milk products shall be effectively pasteurized, and shall be produced, processed and distributed in compliance with standards established by the department by rule under this chapter.

(c) No person may sell or distribute milk or fluid milk products which are labeled or otherwise represented as grade A milk or grade A milk products unless the milk and fluid milk products comply with this chapter and with standards established by the department by rule under this chapter.

(d) This section does not prohibit:

1. The sale of milk or fluid milk products which are heat sterilized in hermetically sealed containers.

2. Incidental sales of milk directly to consumers at the dairy farm where the milk is produced.

3. Incidental sales of pasteurized milk at a dairy plant licensed under s. 97.20.

4. The sale of grade A milk or grade A milk products which are produced and processed under equivalent laws or rules of another state or a local governmental unit, as provided under sub. (4) (b).

(3) Rules. The department, in consultation with the department of health services, shall issue rules governing the production, transportation, processing, pasteurization, handling, identity, sampling, examination, labeling and sale of milk and fluid milk products; the inspection of dairy herds, dairy farms and dairy plants; the issuing and revocation of permits to milk producers and milk haulers, and of licenses to dairy plants and milk distributors. Insofar as permitted by the laws of this state, such rules shall be in reasonable accord with the minimum standards and requirements for milk and fluid milk products currently recommended and published by the U.S. public health service as a milk ordinance and code, except that the requirements for bottling and sterilization of bottles in such standards shall not apply to milk sold by a producer, selling only milk produced by the producer on the producer's dairy farm under the producer's own supervision, and selling such milk only in the producer's own milk house, which milk meets the requirements of grade A standards as set forth by the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, to a purchaser who has provided his or her own container, which has been sanitized in a manner comparable to the sanitizing of the utensils used in the production of milk by the producer, if the purchaser is purchasing milk for his or her own consumption.

(4) Legislative purpose; uniformity; reciprocity.

(a) Regulation of the production, processing and distribution of milk and fluid milk products under minimum sanitary requirements which are uniform throughout this state and the United States is essential for the protection of consumers and the economic well-being of the dairy industry, and is therefore a matter of statewide concern; however, nothing in this section shall impair or abridge the power of any municipality or county to regulate milk or fluid milk products under sanitary requirements and standards which are in reasonable accord with those established under this section or the power to impose reasonable license permit and inspection fees which combined shall not exceed the cost of necessary inspection. A municipality or county may not impose any fee for its inspection of milk producers, dairy plant facilities or dairy products which are under the inspection supervision of another governmental unit within or without the state with a valid certification rating made or approved by the department. No governmental unit may impose or collect a fee directly from the producer. A license or permit fee not to exceed $25 annually may be imposed on milk distributors licensed under s. 97.22 and on dairy plants under the inspection supervision of another governmental unit which are engaged in the distribution of milk within a municipality or county.

(b) No sanitary requirement or standard established under this section or contained in any ordinance may prohibit the sale of milk or fluid milk products which are produced and processed under laws or rules of any governmental unit, within or without this state, which are substantially equivalent to the requirements of the rules promulgated under this section, and which are enforced with equal effectiveness, as determined by a milk sanitation rating made or approved by the department, under rules promulgated under this section.

(5) Certification of Grade A dairy operations. The department shall conduct evaluation surveys of grade A dairy operations in this state to the extent necessary to certify to the federal food and drug administration, out-of-state markets, the federal public health service, and local health departments, the compliance rating of the grade A dairy operations based upon the sanitation and enforcement requirements of the grade A pasteurized milk ordinance of the federal public health service and its related documents. The department may promulgate rules establishing fees which may be charged to dairy plants to fund these activities.

History: 1971 c. 125, 156, 228; 1973 c. 333; 1975 c. 39, 199; 1977 c. 29; 1979 c. 221; 1981 c. 390 s. 252; 1983 a. 189 ss. 128, 329 (20); 1987 a. 27, 399; 1989 a. 56 s. 259; 1993 a. 114; 1995 a. 27 s. 9126 (19); 2003 a. 33 ss. 1757, 1758, 2454; 2007 a. 20 s. 9121 (6) (a); 2015 a. 242.