Virginia Law

A. It shall be unlawful for any person who does not possess a permit from the state regulatory agency to: (i) operate a bulk milk pickup tanker; (ii) sample, measure, and collect milk from farm bulk milk cooling or holding tanks; (iii) sample, measure, or receive milk in cans or containers into any milk plant, receiving station, or transfer station; (iv) possess or transport official milk samples; (v) collect official milk samples from bulk milk pickup tankers or milk transport tanks; or (vi) collect official milk samples of pasteurized milk or pasteurized milk products from a milk plant. Each person shall pass a test as prescribed by the state regulatory agency. Qualifications of such persons shall be those set forth by laws, regulations, and procedures prescribed by the state regulatory agency. All such permits shall expire on December 31 next following the date of issuance. All such permits shall be renewed without further examination if the permit holder renews his permit within one year after the permit's expiration date. No permit to operate a bulk milk pickup tanker to sample, measure, and collect milk from farm bulk milk cooling or holding tanks shall be renewed without the applicant satisfactorily passing a test as prescribed by the state regulatory agency if the applicant did not renew his permit within one year after it expired. Each bulk milk sampler shall be evaluated by the state regulatory agency at least once during the first year after the bulk milk sampler's permit is issued and a minimum of once every 18 months thereafter as a condition of permit renewal. It shall be the responsibility of each bulk milk sampler to ensure the bulk milk sampler is available to be evaluated by the state regulatory agency and to contact the state regulatory agency if the bulk milk sampler has not been evaluated within the 18 months following the last evaluation.

B. It shall be unlawful for any person who does not possess a permit from the state regulatory agency to operate a milk tank truck cleaning facility. Each milk tank truck cleaning facility shall be inspected and determined to be in compliance with all requirements of this chapter by the state regulatory agency prior to permit issuance. All such permits shall expire on December 31 next following the date of issuance.

C. Each contract hauler and subcontract hauler shall obtain a permit from the state regulatory agency in order to contract for the hauling of milk from a dairy farm to a milk plant or transfer station. Each contract hauler and subcontract hauler shall also obtain a permit from the state regulatory agency for each bulk milk pickup tanker and each milk transport tank they operate. Each bulk milk pickup tanker and each transport tank shall be identified by a five-digit number preceded by the letters "VA". The first two digits of the five-digit number shall identify the contract hauler or subcontract hauler as assigned by the state regulatory agency and the last three digits of the five-digit number shall identify the specific bulk milk pickup tanker or transport tank as assigned by the state regulatory agency. Each contract hauler and subcontract hauler shall identify each bulk milk pickup tanker and transport tank on the left hand side of the rear bulkhead of each tank with permanent, water resistant letters and numbers. Each contract hauler and subcontract hauler shall use only letters and numbers to identify a bulk milk pickup tanker or milk transport tank that are at least three inches tall and one-and-one-half inches wide. Each contract hauler and subcontract hauler shall provide the state regulatory agency with the name of the manufacturer, year made, model number, capacity, serial number, number of compartments, whether the tanker is a bulk milk pickup tanker or milk transport tank, delivery address, mailing address, telephone, and contact information for each bulk milk pickup tanker and milk transport tank for permitting purposes. Permits for contract haulers, subcontract haulers, bulk milk pickup tankers, and milk transport tanks shall expire on December 31 next following the date of issuance and shall be renewed annually.

D. It shall be unlawful for any person who does not possess a permit from the state regulatory agency to operate a pay purpose laboratory or to test milk for pay purposes. Each person employed by a pay purpose laboratory who is involved in testing milk for pay purposes shall pass a test as prescribed by the state regulatory agency. Qualifications of such persons shall be those set forth by laws, regulations, and procedures prescribed by the state regulatory agency. All such permits shall expire on December 31 next following the date of issuance and shall be renewed annually. All such permits shall be renewed without further examination if the permit holder renews within one year after the permit's expiration date.

E. Only a person who complies with this chapter shall be entitled to receive and retain such a permit. Permits or identification numbers shall not be transferable with respect to persons, equipment, or locations.

F. The state regulatory agency may cancel, suspend, or revoke the permit of any person, or may deny to any person a permit if:

1. It has reason to believe that a public health hazard exists;

2. The permit holder fails to engage daily in the business for which the permit was issued;

3. The permit holder was not evaluated by the state regulatory agency if required for permit renewal;

4. The permit holder fails to comply with any requirement of this chapter, or of §§ 3.2-5200 through 3.2-5210 or 3.2-5218 through 3.2-5233 of the Code of Virginia;

5. The permit holder has interfered with the state regulatory agency in the performance of its duties;

6. The person supplies false or misleading information to the state regulatory agency: (i) in the person's application for a permit; (ii) concerning the identity of the person who will control the business or equipment that is the subject of the permit; (iii) concerning the amount of milk, milk product, or dairy product that the person weighs, samples, tests, or transports; (iv) concerning the distribution of the person's milk, milk product, or dairy product; (v) concerning any investigation conducted by the state regulatory agency; or (vi) concerning the location of any part of the person's operation or equipment that is subject to a permit;

7. The permit holder engages in fraudulent activity regarding: (i) the amount of milk, milk product, or dairy product the person weighs, samples, tests, or transports; (ii) the collection of samples used to determine compliance with any provision of 2VAC5-490, 2VAC5-530, or this chapter; or (iii) the collection or testing of samples used for pay purposes;

8. The permit holder fails to correct any deficiency that the state regulatory agency has cited in a written notice of intent to suspend the person's permit, as a violation of this chapter; or

9. The agency in another state responsible for issuing permits to contract haulers, subcontract haulers, bulk milk haulers, bulk milk samplers, dairy plant samplers, transporters of official samples, pay purpose laboratories, or testers of milk samples for pay purposes has suspended, or revoked the permit of the person in that state for any act or omission that would violate this chapter or the statutes under which this chapter was adopted, had the act or omission occurred in the Commonwealth.

G. The state regulatory agency may summarily suspend the permit of any person for violation of subdivision F 1 or F 8 of this section.

H. Each bulk milk sampler and bulk milk hauler shall ensure that one complete set of milk samples representing each of the milk pickups on each load of farm pickup milk in his possession shall accompany the load to its destination. No person may remove the last complete set of milk samples from a bulk milk pickup tanker prior to its delivery to a milk plant, receiving station, or transfer station.

I. Each person who operates a dairy farm shall abstain from selling any milk from his dairy farm after his milk tests positive for excessive drug residues until notified by the state regulatory agency that a followup official milk sample taken from his milk supply tested negative for excessive drug residues.

J. To provide for permitting reciprocity between states, the state regulatory agency may issue a Virginia permit to any bulk milk hauler or bulk milk sampler who holds a valid permit issued by the regulatory agency in another state without that person having to take or pass a test in Virginia if the person will be picking up or sampling milk in Virginia.

K. Each person who operates a dairy farm shall use only a farm bulk milk pickup tanker or milk transport tanker for direct loading and storage of milk on his dairy farm if: (i) the milk tank truck is equipped with a means to collect representative milk samples approved by the state regulatory agency at his dairy farm; (ii) the milk tank truck is always delivered to the same milk plant in Virginia where a representative milk sample may be obtained by the state regulatory agency; or (iii) the operator of the dairy farm arranges for official milk samples to be collected and delivered to a laboratory operated by the state regulatory agency.

L. Each bulk milk hauler, bulk milk sampler, contract hauler, and subcontract hauler who transports any pasteurized milk, pasteurized milk product, pasteurized dairy product, or pasteurized frozen dessert mix shall use only a milk tank truck that is dedicated solely to transport or hold pasteurized milk, pasteurized milk product, pasteurized dairy product, or pasteurized frozen dessert mix if the pasteurized milk, pasteurized milk product, pasteurized dairy product, or pasteurized frozen dessert mix will not be repasteurized in the milk plant receiving the pasteurized milk, pasteurized milk product, pasteurized dairy product, or pasteurized frozen dessert mix prior to being packaged for sale.