I’ve had a bit of a reaction to my previous post suggesting that cheese production in Scotland could not use raw milk (unpasteurised) like the Lancashire dairy whose cheese has recently killed one man in Scotland.

The Food Standards Agency Scotland regulation is clear:

It is an offence to place raw milk or cream on the market for direct consumption in Scotland – this includes distribution. The ban includes sheep, goats, buffalo and any other species farmed for its milk. Raw drinking milk and cream has historically been recognised as a high risk to public health as it was linked to a high number of food poisoning outbreaks, mainly Salmonella, Campylobacter and E.Coli O157 infection, and 12 potentially associated deaths in Scotland.

No exemption is made for cheese production.

However, more than one comment, in Twitter and here, has suggested otherwise.

Groaver, here, has helpfully pointed me to Guidance for Local Authority Enforcement Officers on the Production of Cheese from Unpasteurised Milk, from the Scottish Food Enforcement Liaison Committee:

This guidance applies to all establishments producing cheese made from unpasteurised milk. The scope is not restricted to milk from a specific species and is considered applicable to cheese made from cows, goats, sheep and buffalo milk. It intends to provide a guide to the type of evidence that is needed from FBOs in order to demonstrate that they understand the risks associated with Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), which is a recognised hazard in unpasteurised cheese. STEC can be excreted in the faeces of ruminant animals such as cattle and sheep, and contamination with this pathogen can occur during the milking process. In the absence of a pasteurisation step to eliminate the pathogen in the milk, producers must be able to demonstrate that they have appropriate controls in place which reduce the risk of contamination, and inhibit the growth and survival of any STEC that may be present. Producers must also provide evidence that they are undertaking appropriate testing and audit regimes to verify that these controls are operating as effectively as possible.

This guidance seems to allow cheese producers to collect raw milk and produce cheese from it on one private site. It does not allow them to transport the raw milk on public roads or to sell it to other cheese producers.

Several comments have identified Errington Cheese:

Our original and famous Lanark Blue cheese is made from unpasteurised ewes milk from our own flock of Lacaune ewes. Lanark Blue is completely handmade on our farm.  We pump the milk across from our parlour each morning to our vats less than 20 metres away and the cheese matures in our cool and moist traditional stone buildings giving it its unique flavour.

Readers will remember Errington Cheese well:

Others include Isle of Mull Cheese, Galloway Farmhouse Cheese, Cambus O’May Cheese Co. and Finlay’s Farm Ltd.

The expert view?

While raw milk is more natural and may contain more antimicrobials, its many health claims aren’t evidence-based and don’t outweigh potential risks like severe infections caused by harmful bacteria.

Between 1993 and 2006, 60% of the 4,413 reports of dairy-related illnesses (121 outbreaks) in the United States were from raw dairy, including milk and cheese. Of the milk-only outbreaks, 82% were from raw milk, compared to 18% from pasteurized milk

Those infected by consuming raw milk were 13 times more likely to need hospitalization than those consuming pasteurized milk

More recent data has shown that raw milk or cheese causes 840 times more illnesses and 45 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized dairy

Currently, many countries ban raw milk for human consumption, including Australia, Canada, and Scotland. It’s prohibited in 20 U.S. states, while other states restrict its sales. In addition, it cannot be sold across state lines

Sources:

https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/business-and-industry/industry-specific-advice/dairy#:~:text=It%20is%20an%20offence%20to,species%20farmed%20for%20its%20milk.

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/downloads/Guidance_for_Local_Authorities_%E2%80%93_Cheese_made_from_Unpasteurised_Milk_-_May_2019.pdf

https://www.erringtoncheese.com/ourcheese

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/drinking-raw-milk#possible-dangers