ALBANY – The State Agriculture Department
Wednesday warned consumers in Sullivan County and surrounding area not
to drink unpasteurized raw farm milk from the Richard Dirie Farm due to
possible Listeria contamination. The Dirie Farm is located at 1345 Shandelee
Road in Livingston Manor.
A sample of the milk, collected by an Ag department inspector on April
7 was tested by the department’s food lab and discovered to be contaminated
with Listeria monocytogenes.
On April 9, the producer was notified of the preliminary positive test
result and he voluntarily suspended raw milk sales until the ample results
were confirmed. On April 15, additional testing confirmed the presence
of Listeria in the raw milk sample.
The producer is now prohibited from selling raw milk until future sampling
indicates the product is free from the harmful bacteria.
Listeria is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections
in young children, cancer patients, elderly people, and others with weakened
immune systems.
People with healthy systems may suffer short-term, flu-like symptoms such
as a high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain,
and diarrhea. Listeria can cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant
woman.
To date, the department knows of no illnesses from this product.
