Legal Information on Selling Raw Milk

The following is drawn from the Food Standards Agency website:

The FSA have stated that in 2009 there were 102 registered raw milk producers in England and Wales. They are not aware of any producers in Northern Ireland even though it is perfectly legal and adheres to the same standards and restrictions as England.

In respect of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Government has assessed the public health risks and proposed a ban on the sale of raw cows' drinking milk three times since 1984, most recently in 1997. Each time, the Government decided not to give effect to its proposal in the face of consumer opposition.

The Scottish ban on sales of raw cows' milk and cream was introduced in 1983 following a number of milk-related illnesses and 12 potentially associated deaths. In 2004, Scottish ministers reconfirmed their wish to maintain and extend the ban so that all raw drinking milk and raw cream sales in Scotland would be prohibited. Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006 N0.3 which came into force on 11 January 2006 state that : ‘No person shall place on the market raw milk, or raw cream, intended for direct human consumption’.

In Wales regulations which came into force from 11 January 2006, require, in addition to the existing health warning, the following advice: “The Food Standards Agency strongly advises that it should not be consumed by children, pregnant women, older people or those who are unwell or have chronic illness.”

The current controls in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on the sale of raw cows' drinking milk in hygiene and food labelling regulations are:

a) the milk may only be sold direct to consumers by registered milk production holdings (at the farm gate or in a farmhouse catering operation) or through milk roundsmen. Sales through other outlets have been banned since 1985 (although sales by the farmer at farmers markets are allowed);

b) the supplying animals must be from a herd that is officially tuberculosis free, and either brucellosis free or officially brucellosis free;

c) the production holding, milking premises and dairy, must comply with hygiene rules;

d) the milk must bear the appropriate health warning;

e) compliance with a) to d) above is monitored by inspections twice a year; and

f) the milk is sampled and tested quarterly under the control of Animal Health Dairy Hygiene to monitor compliance with standards for total bacterial count and coliforms.