Unpasteurised milk could soon be available from vending machines in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
A consultation on the matter found that the majority of responses saw “an appetite” for wider access to the product. The findings of the consultation are expected to be presented to a Food Standards Agency (FSA) board meeting tomorrow.
The recommendations to the board state: “The overarching conclusion from the event is that there is an appetite among producers and current raw drinking milk (RDM) consumers for increased consumer access to RDM and general support from both consumers and producers for appropriately stringent control measures to deal with the risks associated with consumption of RDM and ensure the product is as safe as possible.”
Currently RDM from cows can be sold in England and Wales on a restricted basis and is subjected to strict labelling requirements. The FSA recommendations do not stretch to Scotland, where RDM is banned.
However the findings of the consultation raise the question of whether RDM should be sold in Scotland or not.
NFU Scotland dairy board chairman Gary Mitchell said: “There are definite health benefits to drinking natural milk. It’s all about understanding the consumer and providing choices.”
He suggested that the public sale of RDM in Scotland may be a viable option for retailers in the future.
A similar view was taken by NFU Scotland’s milk policy manager George Jamieson who said: “I think it should be sold in Scotland, but I’m not sure if it would be an advantage or not, or whether there would be a huge demand for it in Scotland.”
The recommendation to the FSA board went on to end with: “There is insufficient evidence to allow these risks to be quantified but given the severity of the disease associated with pathogens that might be present in RDM, full liberalisation of sales is not considered appropriate at this stage.”