Opinion: ‘The government needs to back raw milk’

Is your counter looking a little different this autumn? Cheesemongers and deli counter managers across the UK are feeling the squeeze as many of the continental cheeses (from France and Italy) they once relied on have been banned from import by rules around Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). 

Not only has this reduced choice and the availability of staunch customer favourites, but it puts pressure on Britain’s own cheesemakers, who may be left to pick up the pieces as retailers look to local producers to fill the gaps. 

Someone who’s been very vocal about the impact of LSD import bans and the implications going forward for raw milk products made both here and overseas, is La Fromagerie founder, Patricia Michaelson, who is concerned the future of raw milk is at real risk. 

Restrictions, such as those imposed by the Government in the wake of LSD, are forcing producers to rethink whether they should use raw milk at all. And some makers who were entirely raw, have abandoned this ethos as they’ve grown – especially if they’re seeking to export into other markets where raw milk cheese is banned. 

“There’s definitely been a change in attitude,” Patricia told Speciality Food. “And this whole LSD problem has brought it to the fore. If Defra or the agricultural department of the Government feel that they can implement a system where they say, for no reason at all (because this is a skin problem, nothing to do with the milk), certain cheeses cannot be sold, despite the WOAH website and French Government saying otherwise, I think that’s wrong! 

“Canada has also banned raw milk cheese for no other reason than to say, ‘we don’t think raw milk not treated above 40C is safe’. Why? They say thermised milk around 50C is safe, but that still has bacteria in it. I think our Government will go after everything made with raw milk now. In 10 years’ time, I don’t think we’ll see raw milk cheese coming into the UK.” 

Patricia has written to the Port Authority and APHA’s issue resolution team, looking for answers about raw milk imports, to no success. “How can they allow thermised milk that’s not fully pasteurised to be OK, and not raw milk?” 

At La Fromagerie, raw milk has been an important part of the offering for 35 years. “I think it’s the healthiest cheese possible,” Patricia explained. “Like Parmesan. It’s a long, slow ageing process with raw milk. As it ages the lactose goes out, and the bacteria that are left are good, because they’ve been fighting the bad bacteria. It’s a superfood of proteins, calcium, vitamins and minerals, but also the bacteria your gut needs.” 

Should raw milk be written off by our Government in the future, Patricia says it will dramatically change the cheesemongering landscape. “We’re starting to see it now with the lack of cheese people are able to get. They’re trying similar ones to follow the criteria, but they don’t taste the same. I usually have a lovely Dongé Brie. The people I get it from have a pasteurised version because they sell to the States. It’s a very nice cheese, but for me, personally, it’s nothing like the complexity of the raw milk cheese. It’s the equivalent of buying sourdough from the supermarket or going to E5 Bakery – the difference is in the taste!” 

Patricia is hoping for the best, and says when French and Italian raw milk cheeses become available again, she’ll have a huge celebration. In the meantime, she won’t stop talking about them, and hopes other cheesemongers who share her passion will be emboldened to lobby and push as hard as she is for their return. 

“It’s important for us to rally together. Nobody’s being as blunt as me, which is a shame. I will keep writing in and making a fuss. After all, raw milk is tested much more rigorously because of the fact it’s raw. If a cheese goes through a process and nothing has shown up in its profiles, what’s the problem?” 

Discussions should be ongoing around the future of raw cheesemaking in this country too. “Cheesemakers, if they want to carry on having raw milk cheese, need to speak up,” Patricia added. “They need to question the regulations all the time. The more people talk, the more the Government should take notice!”