Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 159: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the date on which he intends to introduce a statutory instrument to ban the sale of raw milk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26767/11]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 160: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason he and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland cannot introduce regulations to regulate the production and sale of raw milk similar to those that apply to raw milk cheese, a product that is allowed here and carries similar risks to those of raw milk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26768/11]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 161: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide figures for total food poisoning outbreaks for the past decade, 2000 to 2010, broken down on an annual basis in tabular form; the annual number of cases that were due to the consumption of raw milk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26769/11]

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 162: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the reason no public consultation has taken place into the ban on raw milk derived from cattle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26770/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 to 162, inclusive, together.

The proposed ban on the sale of raw milk for direct human consumption is not new. Sale of raw cows milk was banned for many years (from 1997 till 2006) by my Department; and previously by most local authorities. The ban lapsed due to a change in EU legislation in 2006. In 2008 my Department undertook a public consultation regarding extending the ban to include both sheep and goats milk. Seventeen submissions were received. Neither my Department nor the Food Safety Authority of Ireland were convinced that the submissions received provided any justification to oppose the expert advice that the extended ban should be supported in legislation.

My Department's dairy science and veterinary experts and the independent scientific committee of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland have strongly advised that there are serious health risks associated with drinking raw milk. Disease risks include TB, Brucellosis, E. coli O157, Campylobacter and Salmonella. There have been incidents of these in Ireland and other countries in recent years. Resulting illnesses can be serious and on occasion fatal.

It is intended to bring forward a Statutory Instrument to implement the ban as soon as possible.

Regulation allowing sale of raw milk for direct human consumption, on a restricted basis, would be difficult and costly to implement and would still not eliminate the serious health risks.

It is important to note in this context that the ban will not apply to making cheese using raw milk. The cheese making process takes time and this provides an opportunity to withdraw product from sale in the event of a problem arising with the source milk. The cheese making process also prevents growth of pathogens and in some cases encourages slow decline in numbers of some pathogens.

A number of artisan food producers are pasteurising raw whole milk and are licensed by my Department in this regard. These artisans are very successfully marketing liquid whole milk, ice cream, different flavoured yoghurts and artisan farmhouse cheeses. I am advised by the FSAI that meaningful differences in nutritional value between pasteurised and unpasteurised milk have not been demonstrated and these artisans clearly show that pasteurised whole milk can be used in the manufacture of safe and quality dairy products.

The ban will not apply either to the consumption of raw milk which has not been placed on the market – e.g. a dairy farmer drinking milk from his/her own cows. Such a ban is not possible under the law and in any event would be unenforceable. However, it is recommended to avoid this practice for health reasons.

Provision of data in relation to food poisoning outbreaks is a matter for the Health Service Executive. I have been advised by the FSAI of a number of cases of serious illness associated with raw milk in Ireland in recent years. The FSAI recommends therefore that the sale of unpasteurised milk from all farm animals which is intended for direct human consumption should be prohibited; and advises that the most effective way to protect public health is to ensure that such milk is pasteurised.

The prevalence of TB in herds in Ireland also puts us in a different position to most other Member States in the EU where the disease has been eradicated. It is inappropriate that Ireland should adopt the same approach to the consumption of raw milk as countries that do not have the same difficulty with TB and therefore have no associated risk.

Ireland exports over €2bn worth of dairy products each year; and is the leading producer of infant formula with about 15% of the world market. Any food scare associated with raw Irish milk could have major implications for our dairy industry. The recent E. coli outbreak in Germany, resulting in 46 deaths, 782 cases of HUS (haemolytic uraemic syndrome, a serious kidney condition) and 3,128 known cases of VTEC, indicates the scale of possible risks associated with raw food.

In all the circumstances I am satisfied that a ban on the sale of raw milk for direct human consumption is justified.