Photo: Dairy cows from a Southern NSW town of Bungonia where raw milk is produced for herd share scheme (Supplied: Julia McKay)
Selling unpasteurised milk is illegal in Australia, but those who crave the creamy rich taste of raw milk are dodging that obstacle by sponsoring their own cow as part of a herd-share arrangement.
Dairy farmer Julia McKay operates a raw milk service where unpasteurised milk is delivered to Canberra doorsteps on a weekly basis.
Herd-sharing has become a popular system in the United States and more recently in Australia after Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) cracked down on selling raw milk.
“There really is no reason you can’t drink raw milk anymore,” Ms McKay said.
“If you keep your cows clean, you test your milk and you make sure your cows are healthy and you’re very hygienic in the way you manage and handle your milk, then it’s as pure as the driven snow.”
Critics of raw milk say it carries a higher risk of transmitting dangerous bacteria that can cause serious illnesses including tuberculosis, listeria and salmonella.
But Ms McKay is adamant that those who engage in herd-share arrangements are able to assess the risk factors for themselves.
Avoiding the pasteurisation process makes for a richer and fuller flavour, Ms McKay said.
“I don’t promote it as a health food, I promote it as very good tasting. But some people might find it to have added health benefits.”
Ms McKay operates a 300-acre dairy farm in the southern NSW town of Bungonia.
The farm is funded by herd-share patrons who have the raw unpasteurised milk delivered to their homes.
“They buy a share in the herd and they pay me, specifically in this case, to milk their cow and to feed it and to look after it and to give them milk,” she said.
Patrons make an initial financial contribution, followed by a weekly fee, which guarantees a 10-litre weekly supply of raw milk.
“In a very very small way I started to tell people in this part of the world, Canberra, who were interested in raw milk… and it’s just grown.
Ms McKay said the approach means there is no specific sale of raw milk to the consumer.
A genetic pre-disposition
Ms McKay was raised on a dairy farm but only made the switch to herd-sharing after drought destroyed her dairy business.
“The whole herd-sharing thing was a complete accident,” she said.
Devastated by drought, Ms McKay was forced to abandon the manufacturing business.
Two heifers were left behind having lost their calves.
“I really didn’t know what to do, but I knew they needed to be milked. And then I didn’t know what to do with all the milk… there was 60 litres a day from these two cows.”
Ms McKay found herself in the unlikely position of having more raw milk than she knew what to do with.
“I started giving away the milk to the point where locals were hiding when they saw me coming.”
Source: ABC News
