Wash. Dairy’s health violations to blame for E. Coli

According to the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Dee Creek Farm’s violation of basic safety and sanitation standards directly contributed to the E. coli outbreak that came from the raw milk supplied by the farm.
“We’ve conclusively linked Dee Creek Farm’s raw milk with the E. coli 0157 H7 outbreak that occurred in the Vancouver and Portland area,” Jerry Buendel, WSDA Assistant Director for Food Safety & Consumer Services.
Among the violations were the fact that there was no running water or hand-washing sink in the milking area, the milking area wasn’t sufficiently clean, chickens and other fowl were running loose in the area and milk processing took place in the family kitchen.
Eighteen people were sickened in Washington and Oregon, including two children who were placed on life support during their hospital stays.
The Pucketts could face a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day per violation.