Recently the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) put out a discussion paper on the sale of raw milk to consumers.
Federated Farmers submitted that the only way to deal with it was to put conditions around the sale, as banning it will drive sales underground.
In our opinion, banning it carries more health risks than allowing it because of high demand from consumers who think that the benefits of drinking it far outweigh any dangers of drinking it.
Our feeling is that we have to save these consumers from themselves by making sure that raw milk is as safe to drink as possible, and the only way to do this was to bring it out into the open and regulate for it.
Farmers are very clear that providing raw milk for drinking requires a high standard of on-farm hygiene and care in the cool chain until it is drunk by consumers. They are very aware that it spoils very quickly and spoilt milk can cause serious illness in some people.
