“Made from raw milk” was stamped on the Gubeen cheese on the new Aer Lingus in-flight menu range, “Bia”. When I picked it up on the flight I found the menu was created by Clodagh McKenna and aimed to show the best of ‘foodie Ireland’.

Raw milk was definitely written as a unique selling point and not a warning to travellers arriving into the country. It was meant to say, “delicious, not dangerous.” Yet despite all the foodies of Ireland trumpeting the unique taste and benefits of raw milk and cheese made from raw milk, the small numbers of raw milk producers are in a constant struggle to survive. The latest issue is the introduction of new testing procedures that are adding extra cost and uncertainty and which some cheese makers say will put them out of business.

Kilshanny Cheese in Co Clare was issued a compliance notice by the Department of Agriculture before Christmas. It directed them to withhold all cheese produced from 2013. Devastating for the small business, this notice followed the detection from the new PCR test of an e-coli vtec in some batches.

Like any food business, Kilshanny is subjected to many tests by the Department. And, like 95% of farmhouse cheese makers, it carries out tests independently at a cost to its business to make sure its cheese is safe. Kilshanny Cheese, however, feels that it is almost impossible for any raw milk cheese to pass this latest test.

Progressive

In a statement, the company said the more progressive authorities in Europe use this system in a different way, so as not to condemn all raw milk cheese as dangerous. However, it said that in in Ireland the authorities seem to be completely paranoid about raw milk and raw milk cheese.

The Department of Agriculture carries out testing on food operators and works with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

While the Department is seeking to reduce risk to the public, Kilshanny says the uncertainty of what the results actually mean, coupled with the cost of testing and destruction of suspect batches of cheese, is proving too much for small-scale producers, who are already struggling.

Some believe the focus on raw milk products is due to the impact that the Department believes an incident could have on the larger dairy export industry.

The FSAI has attempted to ban the sale of raw milk in the past without success, again citing health risks.

Elizabeth Bradley of Carlow Cheese produces raw milk cheese for her growing customer base. She feels that pasteurisation would lead to the loss of the unique flavour of raw milk, while the extra cost would see small batches become uneconomical. While she co-operated with the testing over the summer, she takes issue with the way in which the Department is using the new test without the backup of strong scientific foundation.

Unable to get answers in Ireland, she has started researching the test: “Over four years ago, the French dairy industry carried out a study on the implications of the use of real-time DNA PCR testing methodology. At least one co-operative – Isigny Sainte-Mere – has installed the system and has used it to return to the use of raw milk for its processing.

There is an acceptance in the scientific world that the use of this type of testing should take place within an epidemiological context and at a specific stage of production.

“The Department says it implements a system of risk-based controls on food in a manner that does not impose unnecessary burdens on the food and feed business operators,” said Elizabeth.

“The cost of this testing cannot be replicated by the producer. It is well-documented how regulatory costs were significant in the demise of our small abattoirs, butchers, bakeries. This test has the potential to wipe out small-scale raw milk producers.”

FARMHOUSE CHEESES

The farmhouse cheese industry in Ireland is growing. With an output of 1,100t, it is valued at €12m, of which €4.5m is exported. CAIS, which represents many farmhouse cheese producers, believes the sector has the potential to more than double to 2,600t per year.

Within this there is no breakdown of the actual value of raw milk cheese. There are around 50 farmhouse cheese producers, but most are small, with only seven companies producing more than 50t per year. In a recent survey, CAIS found that over 60% of its members are producing raw milk cheese, mainly the smaller producers. The Department says that 22 producers are registered to produce raw milk cheese in Ireland. Bord Bia, as part of its three-year promotional campaign for small scale farmhouse cheese producers, says it best: “The cheeses speak quietly about the good things, about pure food, about fine milk, and content animals, about sharing and hospitality, and the creativity of a determined individual on a small farm, stamping every cheese with the signature of their personality.” Raw milk cheese in particular is being promoted as having a unique taste and a growing number of customers are looking for raw milk and raw milk cheese, not just in Ireland, but throughout Europe.

Bronwen Percival, cheese buyer for Neal’s Yard in London and a microbiologist, says cheeses are one of the safest food products, with only 3.4% of food-borne outbreaks in Europe due to contaminated cheese. Yes there is a higher risk with raw milk, but then there is a higher risk crossing the street. Quantifying the level of risk has not been done. The question for now is will over-regulation stamp out this unique Irish food altogether. Other jurisdictions appear to be more transparent, with agreed protocols and discussion and consultation around the testing question. The focus should be on customer education, proper labelling and a level of testing and traceability that is in line with the small businesses making the product.

Raw milk cheese: The risks

Raw milk cheese is recognised as being a higher risk to public health than pasteurised milk cheese, according to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Raw milk may contain pathogenic bacteria that, if present, are normally killed during the pasteurisation step. If milk is not pasteurised, then the cheese maker relies solely on the cheese-making process to eliminate the pathogens. This does not always happen and is dependent on the processes used and the pathogens that may be present, the FSAI said. This is why EU labelling law demands that such cheese must be labelled as having been made with raw milk. The Department of Agriculture is also concerned at the health risks associated with drinking raw milk and consuming associated products.

A spokesman said the risks include diseases such as TB, Brucellosis, E. coli O157, Campylobacter, Listeria and Salmonella.

He said: “The cheesemaking process, however, 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.”

The new test: What it looks for

E. coli are bacteria that exist in the guts of warm-blooded animals. Sometimes they take on the genetic material (genes) which enables them to produce a toxin that can cause severe illness and even death when ingested.

These toxic E. coli are called verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC). The best known VTEC is E. coli O157, but over recent years many more have emerged as more types of E. coli take on the genes that are needed to produce toxins. At one time, a reasonable level of safety in food could be achieved by testing for E. coli O157, but the Department says this is no longer the case.

The advantage of the PCR testing method is that it can detect all E. coli that have a gene that codes for toxin production, not just E. coli O157.

However, the FSAI said it is used as a screen. Only when the laboratory is able to isolate and grow the specific bacteria from the food sample identified as positive by the PCR screen does a result become confirmed.

While this method has been applied to the testing of a variety of foods sampled by environmental health officers working for the HSE for a number of years, it was first applied by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for testing raw milk cheese in July 2013.