October 22, 2007

 

Raw milk sales soar in Wales

 

 

Sales of raw milk or unpasteurised milk are selling like hotcakes in Wales.

 

Straight-from-the-cow milk is regularly consumed by more than 100,000 Californians and is equally popular in New York.

 

Now the craze is hitting in farm shops in Wales with reports of sharp increases in sales.

 

Advocates of raw milk, which is sold in green- topped bottles, claim that it is high in immune-boosting nutrients and disease-fighting antibodies.

 

Steve Oultram, who owns Newbridge Farm Shop in Ewloe, said though his family has been selling raw milk for more than 50 years, it was just recently that it became so popular.

 

He said raw milk demand is on the rise as people coming from as far as Aberdeen and Brighton have come over to buy his product.

 

Oultram said some of his customers had used milk to help combat illnesses such as advanced cancer and eczema.

 

But it's not just raw milk that is becoming ever more popular - raw cheeses are on the up too.

 

Jill Pateman, who owns Merlin Cheeses in Ceredigion, said it was not accepted twenty years ago and as the society is becoming affluent, people have now a choice and are opting for raw dairy often.

 

But raw dairy is not without its critics. There have been reports it could be banned in Wales and England - as it has been in Scotland for more than 20 years.

 

Legislation introduced in January this year means that Welsh retailers of raw milk must now have a licence, as well as carry a warning on the bottle that the milk is not pasteurised.

 

They are also forced by the Food Standards Agency to have a sample of the milk tested every three months to check that it contains no harmful bacteria.

 

Wales' Food Standards Agency warns that raw milk has not been "heat treated and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health. The Food Standards Agency strongly advises that it should not be consumed by children, pregnant women, older people or those who are unwell or have a chronic illness."