By Willy Leferink*
The future of raw drinking milk sales from the farm gate has Federated Farmers stepping back into the fresh milk issue.
The Federation believes farmers and consumers should have the option of selling and buying raw drinking milk from the farm gate.
What we’re consulting members on is the legal means to sell raw milk from the farm gate. Not that we want to compete with the supermarkets.
Why on earth would we when you can buy two litres of fresh milk cheaper at Karori New World than at Coles in Sydney? Perhaps some have realised consumers aren’t being ripped off; let’s face it milk has fallen off the electoral radar.
What we’re talking to our members about is the old ‘five litre rule’ for selling unpasteurised or raw milk from the farm gate.
These rules are long in the tooth and come from a time when pasteurised milk in rural areas was hard to get and fridges were a luxury item.
Federated Farmers believes farmers and consumers should have the ability to sell and buy raw drinking milk.
It’s why we need members to complete our online survey to give us the data we need. There are several options going forward and we need their help to form the right view.
One option is to enforce requirements for a registered Risk Management Programme (RMP) on farm gate sales of raw drinking milk.
That’s unattractive at the smaller sales end of a spectrum. Even the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) believes the cost involved with an RMP would see an end to most farm gate sales.
MAF's preferred option is audited self-management, which would see farms granted an exemption to an RMP.
In return, participating farms would have to meet certain animal health and hygiene requirements.
MAF is also proposing a daily sales limit of 120 litres and six litres per customer.
Going down that road would mean greater standards around storage, transportation and a paper trail to ensure compliance. A paper trail would also help in case the worst happened.
Farmers would also have to assume legal liability for what they sell but buyers would be subject to caveat emptor; ‘let the buyer beware’.
Members would have received the survey electronically. If not, they can to ring 0800 327 646 (0800 FARMING) or email policy advisor, Ann Thompson, at athompson@fedfarm.org.nz.
The survey will give us some vital information to inform MAF about what’s really happening.
Farmers and Federated Farmers can then help MAF write workable rules and policy that will shape the sale of raw milk at the farm gate.
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Willy Leferink is Federated Farmers dairy chairperson
7 Comments
We would welcome improved opportubities to buy raw milk, and more info on participating farms. A list on the fedfarm website would suffice.
BTW when I was in Sydney early this year, supermarket milk was about $1 to $1.25 per litre. It must have gone up a lot since.
Cheers
Yes please, I would LOVE the opportunity to purchase raw milk. Even better if this is directly purchased.
Like John, I knew from research on the internet that a purchase of a few litres was legal, but information about just WHO to approach is totally lacking.......
I thought of asking at a local Farmer's Market......wonder if that could be a suitable venue for sale?
Anne: Currently farmers have to operate under a registered Risk Management Programme in order to sell milk directly.
This is the favoured MAF position going forward:
OPTION THREE (MAF's preferred option): Make limited amendments to conditions of sale, exempt farmers from the requirement to operate under an RMP, and require that dairy farmers meet certain animal health and hygiene requirements. This would see farmers
§ having to do a little extra around animal health and farm hygiene – Tb free, clean milking practices, clean (though not sterilised) equipment;
§ selling only at the farm gate (not delivering it to customers or sending it in a refrigerated van to a drop off point where those who had ordered it could come and collect it);
§ limiting the total volume per farm per day to 120L; maximum volume per customer of 6L (not 5L as is current)
§ storage requirements e.g. ≤ 6°C if storing it for longer than 2 hours
§ Keep records of who, when, how much is sold so that a food safety trail could be seen in case of illness, and also for enforcement of volume limit
§ Appropriate labelling
§ Farmers would be held accountable for food borne illness outbreaks and liable to prosecution, although buyers would purchase the milk on a ‘buyer beware’ basis.OPTION THREE (MAF's preferred option): Make limited amendments to conditions of sale, exempt farmers from the requirement to operate under an RMP, and require that dairy farmers meet certain animal health and hygiene requirements. This would see farmers
§ having to do a little extra around animal health and farm hygiene – Tb free, clean milking practices, clean (though not sterilised) equipment;
§ selling only at the farm gate (not delivering it to customers or sending it in a refrigerated van to a drop off point where those who had ordered it could come and collect it);
§ limiting the total volume per farm per day to 120L; maximum volume per customer of 6L (not 5L as is current)
§ storage requirements e.g. ≤ 6°C if storing it for longer than 2 hours
§ Keep records of who, when, how much is sold so that a food safety trail could be seen in case of illness, and also for enforcement of volume limit
§ Appropriate labelling
§ Farmers would be held accountable for food borne illness outbreaks and liable to prosecution, although buyers would purchase the milk on a ‘buyer beware’ basis.
I know some child health professionals who have a nazi like negative attitude towards giving children raw milk. It can be quite polarising in some circles.
CDC confirms not a single death in 11 years from raw milk:
http://www.naturalnews.com/034169_CDC_raw_milk.html
Besides, my doctor highly recommends the quality of raw milk.
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