New York State Agriculture Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine today warned consumers in and around Chautauqua County to not consume unpasteurized raw farm milk from Castle Farms due to possible E. coli O157:H7 contamination.

Castle Farms, located at 1051 Route 249 in Irving, New York, holds a Department permit to legally sell raw milk at the farm. Samples of the milk are routinely tested by the New York State Food Laboratory to determine if the raw milk is free of pathogenic bacteria.

A routine sample of the milk was taken on June 4, 2012 by an inspector from the Department’s Division of Milk Control and Dairy Services and subsequently tested and discovered to be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7. On June 7, 2012, the producer was notified of a preliminary positive test result and who volunteered to suspend raw milk sales until the sample results were confirmed.

Test results were confirmed on June 12, 2012 and the producer is now prohibited from selling raw milk until subsequent sampling indicates that the product is free of harmful pathogens.

To date, no illnesses are known by the Department to be associated with product from Castle Farms.