Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
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Question 165: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding raw milk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33894/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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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 effect renewal of the ban will constitute a return to the status quo.

A public consultation process was held in 2008 in relation to the proposed extension of the ban to goats' and sheep milk. Seventeen submissions were received. The submissions were wide ranging and included requests to allow restricted sale of raw milk as well as a number of claims of perceived health benefits of drinking raw milk. All the submissions were carefully reviewed by my Department's experts in conjunction with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. They were satisfied that the claimed benefits from drinking raw milk did not outweigh strong advice concerning the known health risks associated with drinking raw milk. These include diseases such as TB, Brucellosis, E. coli O157, Campylobacter and Salmonella. Illness associated with consumption of raw milk is thankfully rare, but this is precisely because of the fact that the vast bulk of liquid milk consumed in Ireland is pasteurised, partly due to the existence of the previous longstanding ban. International data show that outbreaks increase when the numbers consuming raw milk are allowed to increase.

The FSAI has therefore recommended 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. Pasteurisation is universally recognised as having been one of the greatest advances in public health and it is important that we do not create conditions in this country, by effectively opening up a new outlet for raw milk, which could undo some of that good.

The proposed ban will not apply to the consumption of raw milk – 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. Home pasteurisation units are commercially available.

The proposed ban will not apply either to the use of raw milk to make cheese. The cheese making process takes time and this provides an opportunity (which does not exist with raw milk per se) 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.

With regard to business opportunities, 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.

Any food scare associated with the sale of raw Irish milk for direct human consumption could have major implications for our dairy industry. 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. 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.

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.

Regulation allowing sale of raw milk for direct human consumption, on a restricted basis, would be difficult and costly to implement. Most important however such regulation would still not eliminate the serious health risks. Even under the best conditions, raw milk can contain low levels of human pathogens that can cause serious illness or rapidly increase to harmful levels. Labelling as a precaution would be least effective with some of the most at-risk groups i.e. the young and the elderly.

Other EU countries which ban the sale of raw milk for human consumption are Scotland, Denmark and Spain. Austria and Italy require that labels advise boiling before consumption. Further afield a number of countries ban the sale of raw milk, as do many of the States in the USA.

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