Good bacteria in Raw Milk - Newspaper article

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I feel the facts about drinking raw cow's milk today should be presented after a letter last week suggested people are being put at risk by 'getting their milk straight from the farm'.

I am sorry to read that Kim Chapman became infected with Brucellosis several years ago after drinking cows milk, and am glad Kim made a full recovery. Regarding Brucellosis, I quote from the Department of Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), 'Brucellosis of cattle, known as "contagious abortion", is caused by infection with the bacterium Brucella abortus, which can also cause a disease of humans known as "undulant fever". Brucellosis of cattle is a notifiable disease which was eradicated from cattle in Great Britain in 1979.'Similarly, TB can be transmitted through drinking cow's milk. All our animals are tested every two years for TB by DEFRA. Our own herd is both Brucellosis free and has been TB free for more than 50 years. I can state categorically that our milk does not contain either TB or Brucellosis.By law, our milk must show the following health warning, "Our organically produced raw milk has not been heat treated (pasteurised) and may therefore contain organisms harmful to health."

 We are licensed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to sell raw cow's milk. To gain our license our milk must pass stringent bacteria tests. If our milk fails these tests we lose our license to sell our raw milk. To date our milk has always passed these tests. The buyer of the milk that is surplus after our round sales collects our milk every two days. This milk is also sampled at each collection for the presence of bad bacteria. We see our milk bacteria analysis every two days. There are no bad bacteria present in our milk.We farm organically. Our cows are healthy, not under stress as we do not farm intensively. Our milking system is extremely hygenic and the milk is cooled to 3C within hours of milking.

Raw milk is totally different from pasteurised milk. It contains enzymes such as lactase that help you digest it. Protein and cholesterol are in a natural form that the body uses. In the US (where raw milk is now regarded as the best sports drink in replacing constituents lost after exercise), it is shown quite logically that raw milk lowers blood cholesterol, and in the UK it has been widely reported that raw milk can reduce children's risk of eczema and hayfever following research published in the Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunolgy. Some of our customers have reduced or cleared their eczema since drinking our milk.

From a health point of view, it is far more concerning, I believe, to drink homogenised milk, which I am sure will one day be banned. If your milk does not have a cream line, it is homogenised milk. Essentially the less our food is altered and processed, the better for us it is!

Stephen Hook, Longleys Farm, Hailsham www.hookandson.co.uk

In response to Kim Chapman's lettter on the dangers of 'raw milk', – Herald, October 2, whilst I sympathise with her on contacting Brucellosis, I have been drinking milk straight from the cow (raw milk) for nearly three years but, the essential element for me is that I know where it is sourced, how the cows are fed (organically), and how the farm is run, again, organically, so I am confident the cows produce organic milk.They have been pasture fed in fields where NO pesticides or insecticides have been used, and they are not treated with antibiotics or conventional medicines either. This reassures me that the milk is pure. I also use this milk to make whey and cream cheese. Although I don't get my milk from Mr Hook's farm in Hailsham, I have drunk his milk and wouldn't hesitate to purchase it from him should I need to as I'm sure he has researched the product and feeds his cattle traditionally.There is as much danger in contacting disease from pasteurised milk where the good bacteria have been destroyed by heating it as there is from unpasteurised milk where the good bacteria still exists.

Tony Rose, Blakes Way, Eastbourne