The Darina Allen Column

Despite the fact that the Minister for Agriculture is determined to ban the sale of raw milk in Ireland, all is not yet lost – a few thoughts on the subject.

I was reared on raw milk, originally from our own little Kerry cow and later from our neighbour’s dairy herd. When pasteurised milk eventually came to our village in the late 1950s it tasted strange and unappetising to our palate.

At Ballymaloe House we drank raw milk and served it to our guests until the dairy herd was sold in the 1980s.

As a family we all passionately believe in the nutritional value of raw milk from a disease free herd. Those who want to drink pasteurised milk can source it in every local shop, supermarket and filling station in Ireland. Virtually all Irish milk with a few rare exceptions is now homogenised as well as pasteurised. This removes the choice from those who would rather have pasteurised milk.

At present it is legal to sell raw milk to the public either from a farm or through retail outlets. This situation came about in 2007 because the EU stated that the sale of raw milk must be regulated by each national authority. In the absence of specific regulations in Ireland raw milk may be sold to the public. However the FSAI and the Department of Agriculture are planning to ban the sale of raw milk to the public later this year.

Other EU countries including Britain and Northern Ireland have introduced a regulated system whereby producers who undertake to operate to specific production and labelling protocols may continue to sell raw milk to the public.

We feel very strongly that those who wish to have raw milk, and believe raw milk is important for health, also have a right to choice. We fully understand the corporate memory of TB within the Department of Agriculture in Ireland but we are now in changed times. Hygiene standards and animal husbandry have improved enormously. At the same time a growing body of research seems to indicate that drinking raw milk can protect against and in some cases cure many allergies particularly asthma and eczema.

At the recent conference on Organic Food Quality and Health Research in Prague on Raw Milk Health or Hazard (www.fqh2011.org <file://www.fqh2011.org> ). A substantial body of research was presented –each one emphasizing the benefits of raw milk.

Drinking raw milk from an infected herd can indeed carry risks, the most serious of which is ECOLI 0157, a dangerous pathogen which can lead to kidney failure. At a recent Slow Food meeting at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Monday, 16th May a senior researcher from Moorepark Dairy Research station outlined the risks and benefits associated with raw milk.

Interestingly, there was standing room only at the lecture, people had travelled from as far away as West Cork, Limerick, Galway and Tipperary and it was evident that feelings run high on the importance of the freedom of choice. Milk is unquestionably a vulnerable product and like many food substances can contain pathogens.

We have frequently asked the FSAI and the Department of Agriculture to draw up a protocol for selected farmers who would be chosen to produce the finest milk for liquid milk production. The raw milk should be produced and bottled on the family farm and sold in glass bottles and clearly labelled ‘may contain pathogens’. No one is putting a gun to anyone’s head to buy raw milk, but freedom of choice is a fundamental right.

In countries both in Europe and the US, there is a growing demand for raw milk. In Germany, there are 50 registered raw milk producers. In Italy, farmers sell directly to the public through refrigerated dispensers in supermarkets, town squares, hospitals, schools. The sale of raw milk gained momentum so fast that at present almost 10% of the nation’s raw milk is now sold through dispensers).

In the US, 39 states have legalised the sale of raw milk and the demand for cream top milk in glass bottles continues to grow apace.

In the US selected farms can sell raw milk under certain conditions. Londoners can buy it at their local farmers market. In Marylebone High Street Farmers Market several farmers like Frances Wood, Lloyd Green, Dave Paul, FW Read and Ceri and Chad Cryer sell raw milk. In Ireland the Sheridans Cheese Shop in Dublin, Galway and Carnaross sell raw milk produced from David Tiernan’s herd of Montbeliarde cows, the same milk that produces the prize winning Glebe Brethan cheese. It is also available in the local Spar shop in Castlebellingham, where the demand is increasing by the week. Local people are rediscovering the beautiful flavour of fresh unpasteurised milk and they like it a lot.

Regulations in the food industry are important but they must be appropriate to the risk.

It is estimated the 100,000 people in Ireland drink raw milk each day. The HSE statistics up to this year do not indicate a concern. Why do we need this new law now? What is the real motive behind the legislation? A farmer who drinks milk from his own herd is the kind of producer I want to buy from. Why can we not adopt the best practice that has been established in other countries that value the naturalness of their foods?

If you feel strongly understanding the risks and benefits that we should have a choice please sign the petition the Slow Food website or contact me directly (021) 4646 785 or via email slowfoodeastcork@gmail.com


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Once again this year, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork has a great program of cookery courses for all interests and abilities. Ranging from a relaxing visit to sit in on an afternoon cookery demonstration to a week long ‘Intensive Introductory Course’.

Sitting in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm the Ballymaloe Cookery School provides its students not only with a life skill learnt under the expert tutelage of their very capable teachers but also a place to relax and unwind from the stresses and strains of normal everyday life. The cottage accommodation available onsite consists of a collection of delightful converted outbuildings which have been transformed over the years by the Allens.

www.cookingisfun.ie