Dairy farmers not registered as a raw drinking milk producer should not give away or sell raw milk straight from the tank, warns the Food Standards Agency.
It is illegal to sell or give away raw milk and cream free of charge if you are not registered to do so.
The warning comes as some dairy farmers may be asked by friends and neighbours if they can buy milk straight from the tank, with some supermarkets still seeing milk shortages on the shelves.
The rules from the FSA are as follows:
The sale of raw drinking milk and cream is legal in England, Wales and Northern Ireland – but can only be sold by a registered raw drinking milk producer directly to the consumer and via the following routes:
• At the farm gate or farmhouse catering operation
• At registered farmers’ markets
• Distributors using a vehicle as a shop such as a milk round
• direct online sales
• vending machines at the farm
To protect consumers, stricter hygiene regulations apply to the production of raw drinking milk provided to the public must be:
• From animals that are healthy and free from brucellosis and tuberculosis
• From a farm that complies with hygiene rules and is routinely inspected twice a year
• Labelled with the appropriate health warning
• Subject to verification sampling programme undertaken by our inspectors. Testing is carried out on behalf of the FSA by Public Health England
It is also recommended people with weaker immune systems should not consume it. These include
• pregnant women
• infants and small children
• elderly people
• people with compromised immune system such as cancer patients
Any producer wishing to supply raw drinking milk must meet a number of requirements set down by the FSA, including a detailed food safety management system. For more information visit https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/raw-drinking-milk-guidance