The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has lifted a cease and desist order against the sale of raw milk and raw milk products from Twin Rivers Farm in Ashley Falls, Massachusetts, after a Brucellosis scare turned out to be a false alarm.
The owner of the small dairy farm was diagnosed with the disease, which is caused by consumption of the pathogen Brucella. But further testing by the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) determined the man’s illness was not Brucellosis.
In the meantime, state and federal ag officials tested all 270 cows in the farm’s dairy herd and found no trace of the organism, which used to be a huge public health threat until vaccinations in herds helped reduce it to a rare problem.
On Jan. 20, the MDAR and the DPH issued a consumer alert for raw milk from Twin Rivers Farm in Ashley Falls, MA “due to the possibility of raw milk being contaminated with Brucella.” But seven days later, MDAR issued the confirmation that further testing was negative.
“There is no reason to believe that anyone who consumed raw milk from this dairy is at risk from Brucella bacteria,” the statement said.
