Raw milk is milk that comes straight from the cow to you and has not been processed in any way.

Under the Raw Milk for Sale to Consumers Regulated Control Scheme, 1 March 2016 all raw milk suppliers must be registered with MPI by 1 November 2016 and Henderson Dairy is the only registered raw milk farm dairy operator in Southland.

The regulations also state that farmers can only sell raw milk directly from the farm or by delivering to the customer’s residence.  Customers also need to supply contact details so they can be reached if a batch of milk fails bacteria testing.

 

Specified warning information is:

“Raw milk may contain harmful microorganisms that can cause serious illness. To reduce the risk of illness, raw milk should be heated to at least 70°C for one minute. This is critical for infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.”

 

Properly produced and handled raw milk is an extremely low-risk food. It must be remembered that any food can be contaminated. We are very particular to ensure the cow’s udder is washed & dried prior to each milking. The milk from each quarter is checked prior to being milked. We only milk cows with low SCC.

Queen Elizabeth reportedly drinks raw milk and advocates swear it helps prevent allergies and is more nutritious and easier to digest than the pasteurised stuff.

A writeup on raw milk published in The Globe and Mail back in 2010 explains that Queen Elizabeth personally drinks raw milk, and that when her grandsons Harry and William were students at Eton College, she went out of her way to smuggle it in for them as well. The Queen apparently recognizes some value in raw milk beyond what health authorities are willing to admit.

 

Pasteurization has been used since the 1890`s to kill bacteria in milk including salmonella, listeria, campylobacter, e.coli, and brucella. However, in addition to the killing of the "bad" bacteria such as these, pasteurization also kills "good" bacteria such as lactobacillus. These good bacteria actually kill the bad bacteria that can contaminate milk and make people sick. Cows that are fed fresh grass are consuming the nutrients necessary to produce milk with a healthy amount of good bacteria thereby producing milk that is safe without pasteurization and full of health benefits.

 

Pasteurization removes some of the calcium content of raw milk.  Lack of calcium can cause weakened bone strength, tooth decay and nerve problems.


Another benefit of raw milk is the high amount of conjugated linoleum acid (CLA). CLA is a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid found in milk from grass-fed cows and is known to boost metabolism, reduce insulin resistance, strengthen the immune system, reduce allergic reactions to food, build muscle, and reduce abdominal fat. Grass fed cows are known to have three to five times more CLA than cows that are grain fed.


The health benefits of raw milk are numerous. Good bacteria and CLA make raw milk an excellent choice for consumers who choose to include dairy in their diet.
 

Leafy green vegetables more dangerous than raw milk, data shows:-
When it is produced safely in accordance with accepted sanitary standards, raw milk is not at all the villain that the government continually claims it is. In fact, raw milk is among the safest foods a person can eat, ranking higher than other common foods like processed lunch meat, factory-produced chicken eggs, and even conventional vegetables. It may come as a shock, but the latest research shows that leafy green vegetables actually carry with them a higher food safety risk than raw milk.