> I can assure you that we pick up zero from "dairy", something I already explained in this discussion in some detail.

Well, I work in Cornell's Veterinary School, and I just viewed a poster on antibiotic residues in milk. They do NOT have a zero tolerance except for penicillin. Levels are set for all the major antibiotics used in the US dairy industry and if the levels are exceeded, the milk is termed "waste milk". Approximately 33% of this is currently fed back to calves. Milk on sale will definitely contain low levels of antibiotics, which is permitted by law, and presumed to be safe. 

> Avoidance of antibiotic residues in milk is an important focus of the dairy industry. Judicious use of antibiotics, followed by an appropriate milk withholding time and screening for residues are essential aspects of milk quality management for assuring human food safety 

> In 2008, the FDA tested older dairy cows headed for the slaughterhouse and found 788 (out of 2.6 million) with drug residues. Every truckload of milk is tested for 4 to 6 commonly used antibiotics (including penicillin and ampicillin, used by humans). When found, which is infrequent, the milk is destroyed [except, see above]. Between October 1, 2008, and September 30, 2009, 3,958,455 samples were analyzed for 10 different groups of families of drugs. Of these, 1,387 tested positive for residues [.035%]

Pete

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