I was listening to a discussion about milk on radio 4 recently. They were talking to Ron Schmid** author of (The Untold Story of Raw Milk) and somebody from Cravendale dairy. They talked about how milk is produced today and debated the whys and wherefores of the pasteurisation process.
The main debate was about whether or not we still need to subject natural milk to pasteurisation - the age old heating up process that kills all the germs that (apparently) only get there from dirty unhygienic production practises that haven't changed much for a hundred years.
Pasteurization originally came about to control disease conditions resulting from urban dairies springing up in the late 1800s and early 1900s to supply milk to the growing population. It became law to Pasteurise milk in the UK sometime around 1950 (sketchy date) I think.
Seems to me that when health officials decided that pasteurization was the perfect solution to eliminate the problem of contamination, they inadvertently gave dairies license to continue their unsafe and unsanitary milk production practices. Doh!
More and more health experts today say we should be drinking raw milk from healthy, grass fed animals and this milk should be transported and stored hygienically.
But today cows are[still] treated very badly. They are fed Heavy grain diets that change the composition of the milk and hinder its ability to protect itself, they live in unsanitary, unhygienic and (often) dark conditions. Is it any wonder that governments say raw milk will make you poorly. Seems to me that if we improve conditions for the cows (give them pasture, sunshine, fresh air and clean water), and feed them on natural foods (grass, hay etc) and stop the dairies using hazardous substances like chemical pesticides and antibiotics, we might be able to return to natural un-tampered quality milk full of nutrients, good fats, and good bacteria.
I suppose as long as we can heat treat the milk and kill all the germs we put in it, the dairy and farming industries aren't going to spend loads of money they havent got cleaning up the joint.
Ill just have to find a small holding organic dairy and milk the cow myself. eek.
a good fact resource here: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html
The main debate was about whether or not we still need to subject natural milk to pasteurisation - the age old heating up process that kills all the germs that (apparently) only get there from dirty unhygienic production practises that haven't changed much for a hundred years.
Pasteurization originally came about to control disease conditions resulting from urban dairies springing up in the late 1800s and early 1900s to supply milk to the growing population. It became law to Pasteurise milk in the UK sometime around 1950 (sketchy date) I think.
Seems to me that when health officials decided that pasteurization was the perfect solution to eliminate the problem of contamination, they inadvertently gave dairies license to continue their unsafe and unsanitary milk production practices. Doh!
More and more health experts today say we should be drinking raw milk from healthy, grass fed animals and this milk should be transported and stored hygienically.
But today cows are[still] treated very badly. They are fed Heavy grain diets that change the composition of the milk and hinder its ability to protect itself, they live in unsanitary, unhygienic and (often) dark conditions. Is it any wonder that governments say raw milk will make you poorly. Seems to me that if we improve conditions for the cows (give them pasture, sunshine, fresh air and clean water), and feed them on natural foods (grass, hay etc) and stop the dairies using hazardous substances like chemical pesticides and antibiotics, we might be able to return to natural un-tampered quality milk full of nutrients, good fats, and good bacteria.
I suppose as long as we can heat treat the milk and kill all the germs we put in it, the dairy and farming industries aren't going to spend loads of money they havent got cleaning up the joint.
Ill just have to find a small holding organic dairy and milk the cow myself. eek.
a good fact resource here: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html
**
Ron Schmid, ND, naturopathic physician, writer, teacher, and farmer, has prescribed raw milk for his patients for nearly 25 years. Dr. Schmid is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and has taught at all four of America’s naturopathic medical schools. He’s the former Clinic Director and Chief Medical Officer at the University of Bridgeport College of Naturopathic Medicine, and the author of Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine.
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