Section 69.01. Buttermaker license.

 

(1)   License required. No person may operate as a buttermaker, as defined in s. 97.17 (1) , Stats., without a buttermaker license from the department. A license expires on January 1 of the second calendar year beginning after the license is issued.

(2)   License application. A person shall apply for a buttermaker license on a form provided by the department. The application shall include all of the following:

(a) Documentation of buttermaker qualifications under sub. (3) .

(b) The fee required under sub. (5) .

(3)   Qualifications. A buttermaker license application under sub. (2) shall include documentation approved by the department to show that the applicant meets at least one of the following requirements:

(a) The applicant has held a buttermaker license in this state within 10 years prior to the current license application.

(b) Within 10 years prior to the current license application, the applicant has worked directly in buttermaking operations for at least 24 months under the direct personal supervision of either a buttermaker licensed in Wisconsin or a buttermaker with similar credentials outside of Wisconsin.

(c) The applicant has done all of the following within 10 years prior to the current license application:

1. Worked in buttermaking operations for at least 18 months under the direct personal supervision of a licensed buttermaker.

2. Successfully completed a department-approved course in buttermaking from an accredited post-secondary educational institution.

(d) The applicant has done all of the following:

1. Obtained a 4-year or greater degree, with a food science or equivalent major, from an accredited post-secondary educational institution.

2. Worked in buttermaking operations for at least 12 months, under the direct personal supervision of a licensed buttermaker, within 10 years prior to the current license application.

(e) The applicant holds a cheesemakers license in this state and has done all of the following:

1. Completed a department-approved buttermaking course.

2. Completed 40 hours of work in buttermaking operations under the direct supervision of a licensed buttermaker.

(f) Within 5 years prior to the current license application, the applicant has completed at least 120 hours of on-the-job training in the complete process of buttermaking under the direct supervision of a licensed buttermaker, and has completed department-approved courses in all of the following subjects:

1. Buttermaking.

2. Production of safe dairy foods.

3. Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) process control.

4. Principles of milk pasteurization.

5. Dairy sanitation.

(4)   Examination. An applicant for a buttermaker's license, other than a renewal license, shall pass a written examination in order to qualify for the license. The license examination shall test the applicant's knowledge of buttermaking and related matters, and may include questions related to any of the following:

(a) Laws related to buttermaking, including standards of identity, composition standards, food safety standards, labeling requirements and related matters.

(b) The fundamentals of buttermaking, including all of the following:

1. Preparation and care of equipment.

2. Composition control.

3. Preparation and use of starter.

4. Pasteurization of milk and cream.

5. Problems of acidity control.

6. Common butter defects and methods of overcoming them.

7. Yeast, mold and bacterial control methods.

(c) Relevant arithmetical problems related to dairy plant operations, butter production, plant efficiencies, and dairy product values.

(d) Practical working knowledge related to all of the following:

1. Testing milk and cream for bacteria, sediment and acidity.

2. Grading milk and cream.

3. Analysis of butter composition.

4. Judging butter samples.

5. Fundamentals of pasteurization.

(5)   License Fee. An applicant for a buttermaker license shall pay a license fee of $75.

(6)  Action on license application. The department shall grant or deny a license application under sub. (2) within 20 days after the applicant submits a complete application and takes any examination required under sub. (4) . If an examination is required under sub. (4) , the department shall administer the examination within 40 days after the department receives a complete license application under sub. (2) unless the applicant agrees to a later examination date.