IN some parts of the world selling raw milk ‘straight from the cow’ is illegal. But not in the UK, where just one per cent of dairies are licensed to sell it. Gazegill Organics at Rimington in Clitheroe is one of them.

Raw milk is a controversial subject and fears that untreated milk can contain diseases like Ecoli prevent many from sampling it.

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But Gazegill owners Emma Robinson and Ian O’Reilly are keen to dispel some of the misconceptions as part of their mission to educate anyone who is willing to listen about food and its origins.

The couple inherited the medieval dairy farm, which had been in Emma’s family for 500 years, at the beginning of the 2008 recession. They quickly came to the conclusion that diversification was the only means of survival.

Today business is booming. They produce organic milk, beef, lamb and pork. As well as the pasteurised (heated for 72 degrees for 15 seconds) milk it sells, it’s also doing a roaring trade in raw, untreated milk – straight from the cow as nature intended, with filtration and chilling the only processes used. And, what’s more, they’re delivering thousands of litres a week all over the north west.

But in a society that has been pasteurising its milk for decades to eliminate harmful bacteria, isn’t raw milk bad for us?

“It’s quite the opposite,” according to Ian. “The milk contains all the healthy bacteria that we need to maintain a healthy gut and the enzymes are alive making it easier for us to absorb calcium, not to mention that it tastes great - the more processes milk has to endure, the poorer the taste.

"The real stuff is more of a yellowy colour than white. We take great care to ensure that the milking plant and our cows are squeaky clean – only Emma milks the cows - giving us the confidence to sell our milk knowing it is the perfect pint. Cows pastured on organic green grass produce amazing milk. It really is a healthy alternative.”

The legalities regarding raw drinking milk are such that it may only be sold direct by the farm to the end user. If it comes from elsewhere it’s not genuine and may not be licensed. Gazegill is licensed to sell raw milk through stringent regulation by the local authority.

“We only have a small herd of 70 cows, so they are easier to manage. When they are in small herds they are much less likely to be subjected to diseases like Ecoli 0157.

“Our milk is properly collected from cows fed organic grass (and a minimum of grain). Heavy grain diets change the composition of the milk and hinder its ability to protect itself. Grass-fed milk has natural antibiotic properties that help protect it, and those lucky enough to drink it, from pathogenic bacteria.”

Research has shown that of the 78 or so farms which are licensed to provide raw milk, none have been recorded as the source of E.coli or any other health problem, according to Ian. “Perhaps that’s because anyone prepared to take on the extra challenge of providing raw milk to the public is almost certainly concerned about the quality and reputation of their product,” he says.

The cows are also fed organic drug-free, GMO-free feed, provided by Hi Peak Organic Feeds who pioneered organic diets across all livestock species, successfully demonstrating that 100 per cent organic diets could be fed without detriment to performance or welfare. Ian and Emma’s shorthorn cattle enjoy peas, beans and lupins as well as their grass diet.

“We took soya out of our animal feeds several years ago because I wouldn’t trust Chinese soya even if I watched it grow. If they put melamine in baby food what will they put in animal feed?”

Gazegill has a wide range of customers – schools and universities have been keen to embrace their organic produce as part of their healthy eating approach. People on paleo or raw food diets are also devotees. One customer had a three-week-old baby who would not feed.

She tried everything to coax the child to eat, but ended up feeding it on a mixture of raw milk, mixed with coconut and olive oils. The child started to eat and is thriving, according to Ian.

Parents of children with eczema, asthma and allergies have also reported improvements in their children’s symptoms after giving them raw milk, he says.

“When a food is organic, it’s not what’s in it that counts, but what’s not in it. People are fast coming around to the fact that organic is best,” says Ian.

Gazegill also operates a ‘care farming’ scheme under the jurisdiction of Lancashire County Council and employs 18 local people with mental health issues. They grow edible flowers and culinary herbs – including the hard to find chervil – for sale and the money is channelled back into the project.

“It’s about giving something back,” says Ian. “That’s what it’s about. We get a great deal of enjoyment out of watching them enjoying their work.”

The farm has also played a part in education since the sixties.

But in 2009 they built an educational facility to house the 250 school visits they accommodate each year. Kids get to see how cows are milked and the chance to make butter.

“Children are the next generation of consumers and we can get them to think just a little bit about what they are buying and subscribing to in terms of how much damage has been done to that product to get it on the plate.

“You never ever get tired of hearing a child say ‘I’ve got butter’ and the surprise that they’ve just made a product that they can recognise. We couldn’t make margarine because it’s too complicated.

“They also learn that the most important thing that we can do is protect our soil because everything comes from the soil.”