opinion-editorial
Food and animal safety are top priorities on New York’s family farms
BY JESSICA SCILLIERI SMITH
I entered veterinary school with
the desire to work with food animals.
Being part of providing a safe and nutritious
food supply, while ensuring
animals were well taken care of was
really my dream. I can attest from
my experiences visiting hundreds of
farms throughout my 12-year career,
the last four with the Department of
Agriculture and Markets, that dairy
farmers prioritize animal welfare and
employee safety.
Local veterinarians are often visiting
farms weekly, and state veterinarians,
like myself, visit annually
to offer additional expertise. We keep
an eye out for any emerging trends or
disease that may compromise animal
or food safety, educating farmers and
other veterinarians to identify them
quickly.
A locally produced food supply is
necessary to counter national supply
chain frustrations and economic challenges
brought on by the COVID-19
pandemic. New York’s Department of
Agriculture and Markets focuses on
bolstering the benefi t of local farms
by ensuring experts are able to support
animal health and wellness. This
improves the animal care and quality
of the products that end up in our food
pantries, groceries and farmers markets.
New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets focuses on bolstering the benefi t of local
farms by ensuring experts are able to support animal health. Photo courtesy Getty Images
In addition to its high-profi le management
of the Great New York State
Fair and the newly established Nourish
NY program, the Department
manages a team of regionally-based
veterinarians, milk inspectors and
food safety inspectors who are pivotal
in overseeing the safety of the food
we consume. Whether it’s a gallon of
milk from a New York City bodega
or cheese and yogurt from the local
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farmers market, consumers can rest
assured that the animals behind each
product received the highest quality
care.
As a veterinarian, my expertise is
in large animal medicine. I’ll spend
several days each week visiting farms
across the North Country. On each
visit, I’ll tour barns, observe animals,
visit with farmers and vets, and help
facilitate conversations on improving
animal health and welfare.
Oversight of milk and other dairy
products is largely defi ned by the federal
government under the Pasteurized
Milk Ordinance, along with state
law. Milk inspectors regularly visit
family farms and milk “plants” to
inspect milking, equipment and processing
facilities, ensuring it continues
to be safe and healthy for you and
me to consume. There are even programs
through Cornell’s Veterinary
School designed to help support dairy
farmers in providing quality milk.
I had the honor of working that program
for almost fi ve years before joining
the state.
When I’m not working my day
job, I’m lucky to have additional and
direct perspective of animal care
through my husband’s 1,500-head
dairy farm in St. Lawrence County. I
can say through my experience that
the effectiveness of processes in place
on family farms, as well as the individualized
care that animals receive,
ensures that dairy products are safe
and healthy. Thanks to checks and
balances within the dairy industry
and the teamwork of local and state
veterinarians, incidents of diseases
of concern to human health from food
products are almost completely eliminated.
For many New Yorkers, knowing
where your food comes from is important
along with understanding how
food is produced. I can assure you, as
a veterinarian who has worn many
hats, our family farms are working
365 days a year to make sure cows are
healthy, well cared for and producing
a safe, high quality, tasty product for
you to feed your family. New York’s
family farms, and the state’s Department
of Agriculture and Markets are
key links in a supply chain that provides
the biosecurity to keep animals
and people healthy.
I encourage consumers to follow
the Department of Agriculture and
Markets (@NYAgAndMarkets) on social
media, as well as the New York
Animal Agriculture Coalition (@NYAnimalAg),
to learn more about farming
and the care farmers provide to
the animals, the land, and their teams
of employees. The State Fair features
a Dairy Cow Birthing Center (a favorite
volunteer activity of mine), which
is streamed live on YouTube and Facebook.
This event offers a great opportunity
for consumers to get answers to
questions in real-time.
The more we talk about food, animal
care, and the sustainability of local
food, the more educated and better
off we’ll all be.
Jessica Scillieri Smith is a New York
state veterinarian specializing in food
safety and security.
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