[Avodah] Question About Cholov Yisroel milk

[Zev Sero]

On 02/07/18 09:22, Professor L. Levine via Avodah wrote:
>  From today's OU Kosher Halacha Yomis
> 
> 
> **
> 
> *Q. I visited a farm and saw cows being milked. I only drink /Cholov 
> Yisroel/ milk. May I buy the milk that was produced during my visit to 
> the farm? (A consumer question)*
> 
> A. A /Cholov Yisroel/ consumer should not buy such milk.
> [...]
> Unless your visit to the farm includes an inspection of the milking 
> equipment prior to the start of the milking (and you also supervised the 
> completion of the milking and verified the cleanliness of all milk 
> processing and storage equipment), the milk which you saw there should 
> not be purchased as /Cholov Yisroel/.


While as a practical matter this is probably correct at many farms, I 
think it's not a correct answer to the question as given.  Yes, you may 
buy the milk that was produced during your visit, *but only that milk*. 
  What the OU's answer says is that you can't buy milk that was produced 
*before* your visit.  Whether this is physically possible depends on how 
the system is set up.  At many farms the milk travels from cow to tank 
in a closed system, and it's impossible to catch it before it spills 
into the tank together with all the milk that was produced before you 
got there.  But I've seen farms where it is possible to catch the milk 
in a jug before it spills into the tank, and at such an establishment 
you may indeed buy that milk.  (The equipment from cow to the point 
where you catch the milk is washed by the milk that went through it a 
minute ago, so if you were there for a few minutes before you put your 
jug to the pipe it should be OK.)

-- 
Zev Sero            A prosperous and healthy 2018 to all
zev at sero.name       Seek Jerusalem's peace; may all who love you prosper