I noticed today that there was an article in some Australian newspapers kicking up a fuss about raw milk, or for the uninitiated, milk that has not been pasteurized.  Have a read of the article titled “‘Mooshine’ milk udderly bad for you.   It tells a tale of some poor bloke inBondi fined A$53,000 for selling raw milk to the public for drinking purposes, who actually knew exactly what they were buying.  No cover up, no scandal, just supply and demand for a healthy product.  Madness!

Well let me tell you a thing or two about raw milk.  When I was knee-high to a grasshopper, I lived on a dairy farm run by my Dad and Mum.  It was a great dairy farm with lovely cows with Dad having a name for nearly every single one of the 150 head herd.  Dad paid very particular attention to the cleanliness of the milking equipment and even washed the cows udders before putting on the suction cups that sucked all of the milk out.Me, my siblings, parents, grandparents and most of the town of Loxton North drank raw milk with no ill effects, and I am still alive and kicking.  The cows were fed on grass, not grain or silage, and had a very healthy diet.  All things considered, no one ever got sick from drinking our milk that was sold from the diary door by the billy can full.

So what is wrong with raw milk if the entire process is treated with respect?  Probably nothing in my experience, however I don’t have a science degree in biology to be 100% authoritative on the subject so take my opinion with a grain of salt if that kind of attestation is required by you.

Raw milk is used in many countries throughout the world for cheese making including the large cheese producing countries of France, Italy, Greece, and Spain, and is considered safe to use in the USA if the cheese is matured for greater than 60 days.  However this is not so in Australia.  Talk about a nanny state or what!

I for one would use raw milk in cheese making at the drop of a had, only if I could get my hands on a fresh supply in my immediate area.  Let the people choose for themselves.  If they want to buy it, then let them.  It certainly cannot be any worse than alcohol or tobacco which are legally sold.

Health authorities should get a little perspective.  More people probably die from road accidents in a single hour in this country than get sick from drinking raw milk, yet they still let people drive.  Grow up governments, and let people choose!

After all, it is very difficult to taint fresh raw milk with melamine now isn’t it?  Just ask the Chinese.