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New Mexico Department of Agriculture The letters NMDA with the D internaly shapped as the state of New Mexico. Logo

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Dairy Facility Permit


“Every facility that produces dairy products in the State of New Mexico must hold a current Grade A Permit.”
( Dairy Establishment Sanitation Act)

Please follow the steps below to obtain permit for a Grade A Dairy Farm or  Dairy Plant:

    • Contact the New Mexico Environment Department to obtain a discharge permit – this process may take a while so start early
    • Contact the NMDA Dairy office at 505-361-2840 to be put into contact with the Dairy Inspector in your area

  • Dairy Farms -  submit a detailed plan drawn to scale of the building with the following information:
    • Location and size of rooms, doors, and windows
    • Location and type of lighting
    • Location of drain pipes, grade of floors to drains
    • Materials to be used for floors, walls, and ceilings
    • Ventilation system types and locations
    • Location and size of water heater, wash vat, and water well
    • Location of toilet facilities and waste disposal systems
    • Location and size of milk cooling equipment and details, including slope, of milk pipeline systems
    • Location of hand sink with hot and cold running water
    • Fill out a dairy application and mail to the dairy office for processing

  • Dairy Plants - submit a detailed plan drawn to scale of the building with the information from above (for dairy farms) and also include the following:
    • Separate rooms for a) pasteurization, processing, cooling and bottling, and b) washing of return items
    • Location of sanitary storage of containers, equipment, caps, and parchment paper etc.
    • Location and type of bottling, packaging, and capping equipment
    • Location and type of pasteurization equipment
    • Location of three-compartment wash vat
    • Location of floor-sink drains
    • Processing room cannot be directly connected to a domestic dwelling
    • Must have a two door separation between parlor and processing room and restroom and processing room
    • Cleaning facilities for bulk transport tanks (if applicable)

Other contacts you may find helpful in pursuing a Grade A Permit:

 

Dustin Cox, Division Director
ddaps@nmda.nmsu.edu 
505-383-9299