TheDairySite Newsletter - 10 February 2012

Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: The Controversial Issue of Raw Milk

Is raw milk real milk? Unpasteurised milk is a difficult issue. In the US over the past few years its popularity has risen, as consumers want more unprocessed, "real" foods.

Advocates of raw milk believe that the product has various health benefits, including an increase in proteins, vitamins and minerals.

Contrary to this, the US Food and Drug Administration clearly states that consumption of raw milk is a public health risk because it may contain harmful bacteria that are eliminated by pasteurisation.

But despite this, several Eastern and Midwestern states have recently ramped up legislative activity regarding the sale of raw milk for human consumption.

Legislatures in Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts and New Jersey are moving bills that would allow consumers to purchase raw milk directly from farms or as part of a cow-share programme, despite recent news reports highlighting the dangers of drinking unpasteurised milk.

Currently, there are 15 states that allow the farm sale of unpasteurised milk, while another 10 permit its retail sale.

These bills could see an increase in income for many small producers who are able to sell products off the farm.

Surprisingly for some, the majority of the dairy industry is adamantly opposing these bills on consumer health grounds. The International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation are fighting hard to oppose upcoming bills.

Raw milk from a dairy in Pennsylvania is now linked to 38 cases of campylobacter illness in four states, and the farm has suspended sales. Campylobacter can cause diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever and can be life-threatening if it spreads to the bloodstream.

Milk is probably one of the safest products on the market, down to the inspections, testing and pasteurisation that take place.

Is it a good idea to allow the sale of unpasteurised milk that has not been officially tested and inspected to consumers who may not fully understand the risks?

Or should we have more faith in our consumers?

If we are not even free anymore to decide something as basic as what we wish to eat or drink, how much freedom do we really have left, asked Texas Congressman and Presidential candidate Ron Paul, commenting on raw milk regulations last year.

A proposal by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) last month could see restrictions on the sale and production of raw milk products in Australia relaxed.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Detecting Mycobacterium avium in Milk of Naturally Infected Cows
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the cause of Johne's Disease in cattle. Research by the University of Iowa looked at chemicals which can reduce the growth of non-specific microorganisms in milk while minimally affecting the recovery of MAP.

Iowa Dairy Outlook Overview
Record high milk prices in 2011 look promising for producers this year, but input costs are still high, which means producers must focus on margin management and good production levels in 2012, writes Kristen Schulte, Extension Farm & Agribusiness Management Specialist at Iowa University.

A Dose of Selenium that Goes a Long Way
In search of a more cost-effective and longer lasting supplement, scientists at the Agricultural Research Service’s U.S. Sheep Experiment Station (USSES) near Dubois, Idaho, and at North Dakota State University (NDSU), in Fargo, isolated a selenium-rich coproduct of milling highs-elenium wheat and studied its effects on ewes and lambs.

It Takes a Satellite To Feed the World
It’s ironic that just when Earth-monitoring satellites are needed more than ever to address the food and freshwater demands of a burgeoning global human population, we face an impending gap in coverage by the Landsat program.

Genus - Value through science and genomics

Company News

Need for Calf Rearers to Focus on Boosting Colostrum Quality
UK - Poor colostrum management and low vaccination rates are the two main reasons why so many UK dairy and beef units continue to struggle with costly and debilitating calf scour problems.

Pfizer Partners with Customers to Contribute to FFA and AABP, AAEP Foundations in 2012
US - Pfizer Animal Health announces the return of the FFA and American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP) Foundation Support Programme and the addition of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation Support Programme. Since its inception in 2008, Pfizer and its customers have contributed more than $3.6 million to local FFA chapters and veterinary student scholarship funds.

ADVOCIN Offers Treatment for BVD
US - ADVOCIN™ (danofloxacin mesylate) is now available from Pfizer Animal Health — offering a cost-effective fluoroquinolone alternative for the treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD).

Consider M. bovis in Cattle Pneumonia
UK - Mycoplasma bovis (M.bovis) is identified in about 25 per cent of cattle pneumonia diagnoses, yet remains significantly under-recognised by cattle vets and farmers alike, according to Pfizer Animal Health vet Carolyn Hogan.

Global Dairy Cattle Industry News