Woodland dairy blamed for E. coli

Unpasteurized milk from Dee Creek Farms in Woodland, Washington, has been linked to at least five cases of E. coli in Clark County children, according to the Daily News.
Three months ago, state officials had ordered the farm to stop selling raw milk, since they are not properly licensed to do so. It is illegal in the state of Washington to sell unpasteurized milk unless the seller is properly licensed and the milk labeled as potentially harmful.
Claudia Coles, manager of the food safety program for the state Department of Agriculture, had warned Michael and Anita Puckett, owners of Dee Creek Farms, that selling the milk in shares did not absolve them from getting the proper licenses and inspections. Farmers often sell “shares” of a cow rather than gallons of raw milk, so as to seem as though they are not selling the milk outright. Coles warned the Pucketts in August.
The couple responded in a Sept. 1 letter that they do not sell raw milk, Coles said.
Since Clark County has traced the E. coli cases to Dee Creek Farms, Coles plans to send officials to the farm to investigate.