A RIMINGTON dairy farmer says raw milk can sooth even the most disruptive children and has been hailed by cancer patients.

Ian O’Reilly, who runs Lower Gazegill Farm with wife Emma, said his customers swear by the unpasteurised milk.

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He is now in discussion with Manchester University to carry out tests on people drinking raw, pasteurised and also homogenised milk to see if there are any changes to the subject’s blood.

The farm is one of just 68 raw milk dairy farms nationwide – some of which are smallholdings.

He said: “We work with parents of autistic children who said they have settled, and cancer patients who swear by it. People with allergies have also said it has soothed their symptoms.”

The Food Standards Agency however has warned against drinking “trendy” raw milk because it is not heat treated to remove dangerous bugs.

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E-coli is most likely to cause contamination during the milking process. In worst-case scenarios, the bug can cause severe diarrhoea, kidney failure and even death.

But Ian said every animal is tested and each teat meticulously washed before milking.

The farm is also voluntarily tested over and above what is required by law.

Raw milk, which has a shelf life of around nine days, is straight from the cow. It goes through a filter and put into a tank and cooled down rapidly.

Pasteurised milk has a shelf life of around nine to 10 days. The milk is heated and then cooled down rapidly. When put in the fridge the cream will still settle at the top of the bottle.

Homogenised milk has a shelf life of up to 13 days. The milk is blasted through fine jets which breaks up the fat particles making it look whiter.

The farm’s 68-strong dairy herd is grass-fed Old English Shorthorns which produce a milk naturally high in butterfat and omega 3 fatty acids.

A litre of raw milk costs around £1.20 – approximately the same as organic pasteurised milk.

Ian said the couple’s three children Niamh, 12, Isabel, seven, and Oliver, five, drink raw milk and have done since they were three months old.

He said: “That’s the confidence we have got in our milk.”