Facing Possible Campylobacter Outbreak, a MI Herdshare Moves Quickly to Halt Distribution, Get Answers
Friday, March 19, 2010 at 10:34AM 
Richard Hebron of Family Farms Co-opOne of the frequent accusations public health authorities make against raw dairy producers is that they deny illnesses from raw milk. Indeed, Lykke repeats that notion when she suggests in a comment following my previous post that producers refuse to apologize when their consumers become ill.
Richard Hebron, who runs the Family Farms Co-operative herdshare in Michigan, has been trying for more than a week now to put that notion to rest. Hebron is the farmer who became a cause celebre in October 2006 when he was the object of a Michigan Department of Agriculture “sting operation” and had more than $8,000 worth of raw dairy products confiscated. A local prosecutor investigated Hebron and the Family Farms Co-op for five months, and eventually decided not to press charges. The case led to the establishment of the Michigan Fresh Unprocessed Whole Milk Workgroup to explore ways to break down barriers between dairies and public health and agriculture authorities.
Family Farms Co-op was also targeted early last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state agriculture officials for possible legal action in a planned crackdown on raw milk buying groups, according to emails obtained by Max Kane, head of a Wisconsin buying group who has been targeted himself.
The Family Farms Co-op has continued operating and serving hundreds of herdshare members without incident, until last week, when a handful of members complained of flu-like symptoms. Five were diagnosed as having campylobacter.
As soon as Hebron learned the news late last week, he went public with members, first alerting them via email of the possibility that herdshare raw milk might be the culprit, then halting milk deliveries, and next doing extensive testing of both the dairy’s milk and its water sources. In addition, the herdshare has been in contact with local public health authorities, providing them with the lab testing data.
In an email last Thursday, Hebron stated: “Several families today have reported members being sick with diarrhea since last Friday's milk delivery. Some of those sickened believe the illness may have come from last Friday's milk delivery, March 5 to Ann Arbor and Wyandotte. Some stool samples from these individuals show campylobacter, a relatively mild form of food poisoning, although in rare cases, campylobacter can result in serious complications. There is no specific information to suggest that the illness is related to milk, but we want you to know so that you can decide if you or any members of your family want to stop drinking the milk.”
The herdshare decided to halt milk deliveries scheduled for last Friday and Monday, and sent two samples of fresh milk along with samples from the dairy’s two water sources for testing at two private labs. The tests all came back negative.
An email sent to members this week noted, “Additional testing, commonly used for general milk quality, was impressively low for somatic cell count (if the somatic cell count had been high, this would have been an indicator of possible mastitis in the cows). This quality indicator, together with the negative pathogen tests, renews our confidence in the high quality and cleanliness of the milk we provide to our membership.”
Hebron told me he’s not sure exactly how many members of the herdshare have become ill beyond the five confirmed with campylobacter. He noted that the herdshare has taken the approach of “being completely open about this.”
He added that members have divided into three groups: those who became ill and have decided to not consume raw milk any more; those who became ill and plan to continue consuming raw milk; and the vast majority of herdshare members who didn’t become ill and are continuing to consume the milk. “I’m sure we’ll lose some members,” he said. “A few have said they'll never trust raw milk again.”
Two members I spoke with who didn’t become ill said there have been reports of flu-like symptoms in the Ann Arbor area by people who didn’t consume raw milk. One of those members, Linda Diane Feldt, a holistic health practitioner, says that one of her clients and several friends who aren’t milk drinkers told her of their illnesses. She says the client tried raw milk kefir and miso soup at Feldt’s suggestion and reported significant improvement in symptoms. None of these individuals was tested for campylobacter, according to Feldt.
Where does this go from here? As a private organization, which doesn’t sell to the public, the herdshare seems to have done all it could in the interests of transparency, communicating with its members and taking precautions to halt deliveries and test the milk and water sources. It’s also understood to be preparing a questionnaire to gather data from its members.
How will public health authorities react? That remains to be seen, but hopefully cooperation will continue to be the norm.
And hopefully, the Family Farms Co-Op experience will begin to change the perception that raw dairies react to possible illnesses with only denial.
Reader Comments (62)
This type of transparency is the extra benefit of raw milk sold directly to the consumer, with standards that EXCEED those created and enforced by government agencies.
I, and so many others, are grateful for people like Richard who are willing to do the right thing, have integrity, and provide a much needed product and service. It makes my life and my health better.
Everyone knows that raw milk proponents are nothing more than a group of deniers. After all, raw milk will cure ANY disease and NEVER makes anyone ill...everyone knows we all claim that, for goodness sake.
Authorities like Marler and Sheehan say so, so it it MUST be true. We are such lying, denying scum we need to be trod upon by the unconstitutional boot of government agents...right Bill?
BH
http://www.JuicyMaters.com
Apart from mastitis other factors that can influence high somatic cell count are, stage of lactation, age (older cows have a higher somatic cell count which is indicative of a well developed immune system) seasonal variations due in part to exposure to seasonal ailments such as winter dysentery, up to two weeks after calving due to colostrums production and day to day variations due to stress.
High somatic cell count is fundamentally a management and regulator induced dilemma that would not be the problem it is if we would simply focus more on quality rather then quantity. In other words small family farms rather then the intensive industrial variety.
Ken
http://www.clickondetroit.com/money/22890280/detail.html
"The outbreak investigation is ongoing, with efforts to determine how widely these unregulated products are being distributed."
(The remainder of this comment edited out for offensive language. TCP)
BH
http://www.JuicyMaters.com
If there is one thing people are keenly and vehemently aware of it’s there freedom.
I only know Bob Hayles from what he has written here on this site yet he reminds me of a very good friend of mine. His name was Bob Howard and wouldn’t you know it they both have the same initials.
Bob Hayles may very well be aggressively honest with a hint of vulgarity he is certainly not a shallow individual nor is he vile.
Ken Conrad
cp
http://www.marlerblog.com/2009/05/articles/legal-cases/the-alexandre-eco-farms-dairy-raw-milk-campylobacter-outbreak/
cp
Thank you....for your words...you saved me the time and typing.
One change however...I never like to see illness. The data shows that most farmers that drink their own raw milk have blood antibody titers for campylobacter and do not get sick from it.
Campylobacter is a depressed and inexperienced immune system excercise. These new campy people now are immune and should continue to drink raw milk.
Also....my highest regards for how this was handled. Good job!!
Openness and integrity will go far with the consumers and the regulators.
You will be back in no time with this kind of moral high ground.
Now you need to find out why and how it got into the milk....if indeed it did. Campy is so common and is found in everyday food, chicken etc...it is also so fragile. It dies when exposed to air and is very very hard to culture in a specialized lab.
Thanks CP....you are getting to know me....
Well handled...All the best,
Mark
cp
http://www.marlerblog.com/2010/03/articles/legal-cases/pasteurized-milk-outbreaks-do-happen-despite-what-the-food-and-drug-administration-and-the-centers-for-disease-control-and-prevention-say/
http://www.annarbor.com/news/michigan-health-officials-warn-of-bacterial-outbreak-from-a-about-outbreak-of-infection-from-raw-mil/
even though it hasn't been proven. I've asked them to change the headline.
The commenters to the article perhaps lack the sophistication and knowledge of this group, but it has sparked some discussions and questions. The pro raw milk and food choice side seems to be the most with real names.
I hope other Ann Arborites and Family Farm members will comment as well.
And I sure enjoyed having milk to drink as of today. I thank Richard and Family Farms for that. Yogurt will be ready in the morning.
I find it interesting how there seems to be other people in the area that have similar symptoms (as reported by Linda - a health care practitioner) who do not drink raw milk. Also the health department apparently hasn't come out and officially said that it was the raw milk that caused it. Yet the newspaper article right under the headline states "8 Cases of Illness Caused By Unregulated Products" Apparently the writers at the newspaper have enough information to make a decision themselves.
I do believe in the Problem-Reaction-Solution that lola spoke of earlier. In this case when the general public hears that the illnesses were caused by unregulated products, they will by and large think that every product should be regulated. We need the government to protect us.
Linda, I hope more of the herdshare members would comment too! I think more and more people need to tune in to the state of afairs regarding this topic and share their thoughts. It is interesting to note that comments previously made on this site have ended up being quoted in federal documents. I doubt most of us are known individually to TPTB, yet I would think that collectively the general tide of opinion is monitored.
I was thinking today, after reading Mark's comments regarding email lists, that it is good for each individual dairy to have their consumers go to bat for them. I would think though that most individual dairies do not have such a large consumer base. I think that banded together the dairies could have more pull than alone. I am not sure how to work this since any larger organization could easily fall prey to the large corporate mindset down the road and any large database of email addresses could easily be taken over by the government and used for their own purposes. Something to think about though.
Thank you for your posting of the Three Whittier Farms pasteurized milk listeria deaths and your litigation documents. We all appreciate your equal opportunity collections efforts.
Now for my genius idea....Bill this might hurt a bit but you can take it.
Bill Marler has become the single most feared element in the emerging raw milk market. Stores and their insurance companies tremble at the mention of his name. Right or wrong this is reality in America. Insurance companies simply write checks and that is why Bill really promotes having lots of insurance coverage. It makes for very easy target shooting and he gets 30-50% of the loot. Wow...what a ratchet. Easy money.
Farmers... here is the fix.....
Number one...use a well constructed food safety plan and avoid the liability to begin with.
Number two...carry a small amount of insurance...not a huge amount. Big insurance policies beg for someone to shoot at the big target. Keep your food chain short with fewer parties in the food chain.
Number three....here is the creative genius part...vending machines!!!
Lets invest in vending machines that are co-located very near stores. The vending machine can be located in the parking lot and not be a part of the store and therefore the products sold are not sold in the store and do not become a part of the stores liability chain.
Stores have short receiving hours which makes it hard to deliver during the day hours. A vending machine could be delivered into 24-7 at off hours. The machine could take credit cards and supply the farmer with cash in 48 hours. The inventory in the vending machine could be kept fresh and very cold delivered twice per week and all old back stock could be taken back to the dairy. The inventory levels could be checked via email and when sold out the dairy could deliver more. No more empty shelves. Video surveilance of the vending machine can tell the dairy miuch about the consumer and their habits. You can also get the names and email addresses of each consumer if you want. You will have the billing data from the visa, ATM or EBT card. This would facilitate any recalls if needed. A vending machine would also keep the pesky inspectors from taking product off the shelf with out the dairy knowing. They would have to buy it and give you some indication of their activities.
This technology does exist...but it may need to customized to work for prepackaged half gallons and other raw dairy products...but this can be done. It would lower the price point and also put the money all in the farmers pocket. temperature data could be emailed and tracked perfectly in real time. The farmer would have his own remote control store.
This vending machine model would reduce the power of the big insurance scaring guerilla in the room...Bill Marler... by reducing the huge insurance opportunity target that big stores or even smaller stores present.
So who wants to help me invent the first prototype of the "Farm to Consumer Direct Vending Machine for Raw Milk"??
This solves so many issues. It keeps stores from pricing raw milk out of reach of common people that need it.
Wow....this is huge.
Sorry Bill...your days of scaring big insurance companies by the sheer mention of your name is coming to an end .....but I do very much appreciate your Whittier Farms pasteurized milk wrongful death case summary.
Let us not forget that the National Association of Pediatrians standards now says do not give antibiotics to cases of suspected ecoli 0157H7 until cultures identify the species and antibiotic sensitivity. To give antibiotics to a child with suspected ecoli with out this culture testing has been the direct cause of HUS and renal failure in so many children and is malpractice.
This malpractice by doctors should not become increased damages for farmers.
No organic farm ever created Ecoli 0157H7....these terrible bacteria came from antibiotic abuse at factory CAFO farms. Yet the CAFOs are never brought to justice for their damages and ecosystem terrorism.
This is the real displaced injustice. In this America we may see some justice for these crimes many years from now but until then....God will deal with these "Food Inc"...criminals.
The most dangerous thing an American can do is to walk arround with a weak immune system.
Raw milk is the best immune system rebuilding food on planet earth.
Bill...I would love to join with you in a class action lawsuit against all antibiotic abusing, antibiotic feeding CAFO systems in America to put the blame where it belongs. This huge cash settlement could then be placed into a reserve account for kids sickened by Ecoli 0157H7....aka...tobacco settlement comes to mind.
Mark
"Number one...use a well constructed food safety plan and avoid the liability to begin with".
That has been my point all along - see recent post (a bit(e) tongue in cheek): http://www.marlerblog.com/2010/03/articles/lawyer-oped/strict-product-liability-in-food-food-manufacturers-are-a-lot-like-the-black-knight/ - "As I tell my friends in the food industry - "Prevention is the only Protection." So says William, lawyer in Seattle."
Regarding you hope/wish that it was the doctor's fault in the HUS cases linked to your farm's E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in 2006, there are several more recent articles in the literature that have discounted the link between antibiotics and HUS - see these - http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/288/8/996 and http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/342/26/1930. Believe me, if I could link those kid's illnesses to the hospital care that saved their lives, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
Regarding what you believe I get in fees - ask the lawyers that defended you in the outbreak in 2006 - they know.
NO one pointed a weapon at me this morning to force down my throat the 1/2 cup of raw cream in my coffee or the 5 tablespoons of raw butter on my freeranging chicken eggs or the raw whey in my lacto fermented veggies or the raw kefir and the raw milk I consume. I drive an hour one way to obtain this NEARLY banned PERFECT food and I would drive all day if necessary. That being the case who is responsible for what is placed in my mouth??? ITS ALL MINE. My farmer has NOTHING to fear from me. My only FEAR is that since I am to damn dumb to produce my own food our god the STATE will destroy the hand full of REAL FARMERS that we have left. Hail to our modern day caesars in suits and ties instead of togas??? History repeats itself only the names are change to protect the GUILTY???
http://www.nonaiswa.org/?p=4304
US cattle herd falls to 1955 levels!!!
US population today is 310 million US population in 1955 was less than 200 million {175 million as I recall]. Who or what is to blame the farmer or US farm policy or the boogie man that the TPTB like to call the business cycle???
IS SOMETHING WRONG??? Looks very scary to me.
And then there is also our nations depleted grain reserves to be concered about!!!
Who is minding our store? China to the rescue???
I wonder if a regulations (along the lines of the one in WI discussed last post) with legal herdshares and a customer list requirement could lead to a more "local" reaction when there is a problem. In other words, if public health could reach every customer, why the need for a press release? However, I admit that these outbreaks are probably being used as "teachable moments" to inform the public about raw milk risks. And, the exaggerated health claims combined with denial of risks/outbreaks by the raw milk movement may be fueling that public health fire against raw milk in the US and other countries.