Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Deering mentioned the milk we put on corn flakes. As a child I grew up on a dairy farm and I remember having unpasteurised milk on corn flakes. I liked the cream that was still part of the milk. Since that time, I have learned that such usage of milk was grossly reckless and irresponsible of my parents to the point that perhaps they could have been prosecuted for it. Certainly, some people in the State now would ban such usage. The witness mentioned that there is a demand for fresh milk in Ireland which there is not on the Continent - in Spain, France, etc. - but there is also a demand, albeit much smaller, for raw, unpasteurised milk. There is an ongoing debate and I understand the Department is still looking into the issue with a view to banning raw milk. Does the National Milk Agency have a view on whether it is desirable to ban raw milk? Such milk must be properly labelled and there is a voluntary assumption of risk by consumers, but should it be banned?

Much interesting data was presented, particularly concerning trends in the past number of years - up to 20 years, in some instances. One of those trends has been that the fresh milk market has fewer dairies, with a move towards one dairy being increasingly dominant, even to the point of producing milk for other dairies. Will the witnesses comment on that and particularly the trends in the spread of the market between the various processors or dairies?