- Dairy farmers must turn raw milk unpalatable or consumable for humans
- Raw milk producers who breach the laws will be slapped with heavy fines
- The tough regulations will come into effect from New Year’s Day
- It comes as a three-year-old from Melbourne died after consuming a product from a health store that was labelled as ‘bath milk’
- The raw milk sold is classed as cosmetic and marked ‘not for human consumption’ so the department has no power to recall it
- Unpasteurised milk has been banned in Australia for more than 70 years
Dairy farmers will be forced to turn raw milk unpalatable or treat it safe for human consumption when tough new laws come into effect on New Year’s Day.
Following the death of a toddler who died after allegedly consuming raw cow’s milk labelled as ‘bath milk’, the Victorian Government announced the new regulations on Sunday.
Raw milk producers who breach the new rules will be slapped with hefty fines of $17,700 and could lose their license to produce dairy products, the Herald Sun reports.
Dairy farmers will be forced to turn raw milk unpalatable or treat it safe for human consumption when tough new laws come into effect on New Year’s Day
Victorian Minister for Consumer Affairs Jane Garrett said the changes will help protect consumers from the serious risks of drinking raw unpasteurised milk.
‘Unfortunately we have seen over the last few weeks some young children become severely ill through the consumption or raw milk and the consumption of raw milk has been linked to the tragic death of a young child,’ she said.
‘The packaging and sale of raw milk as a cosmetic bath product is causing some confusion among consumers.
‘Raw milk may be sold for cosmetic use as ‘bath’ milk and can appear similar to other milk products, but it must carry warning labels.’
A three-year-old allegedly recently died after drinking Mountain View Organic Bath Milk
It comes after Mountain View Farm voluntarily pulled its range of organic bath milk products off the shelves of heath food stores after the milk was linked to the death of a toddler in Melbourne.
Earlier this month, a three-year-old from the Mornington Peninsula, south-east of Melbourne, died after allegedly drinking the bath milk.
Mountain View Farm issued a statement on its Facebook page on Friday telling customers the product was being voluntarily recalled following a request from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
‘We have been asked by the ACCC to do a voluntary recall,’ the statement said.
‘If anyone has purchased Mountain View Bath Milk, please either dispose of the container or return to the place of purchase for a refund.’
Victoria’s health department has warned people against drinking raw milk after the three-year-old died. Four other children under the age of five fell seriously ill after it’s believed they drank raw milk.
Unpasteurised cow’s milk has been banned in Australia for more than 70 years but manufacturers can sell it as a cosmetic product rather than food.
The product is advertised on the family-run company’s website as ‘amazing fresh ‘raw bath milk’… dropped off to the farm store every Thursday for pick up’.
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard urged consumers not to drink the milk.
‘The message from health agencies is clear: do not drink unpasteurised milk,’ she said.
‘If you have this product, do not drink it in any circumstances.’
Regulators are considering whether raw milk labels mislead consumers, with the product often sold alongside consumable milk products.
Chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester said some people were choosing to drink rawmilk because they believed it was healthier than pasteurised milk.
Mountain View Farm owner Vicki Jones told the Herald Sun her company always advised people not to drink the product.
‘What people do with milk when they take it home, I can’t tell them what to do,’ she said.
Ms Jones said the company already labelled their milk with warnings that it was not for consumption, in accordance with health department regulations, but was happy to make any recommended changes.
‘We’ve told them we’re happy to add extra labelling and warnings to the milk,’ she said. ‘We’re happy to comply with whatever they request.’
The raw milk is often sold in fridges near to the pasteurised drinking milk and its packaging looks similar to that of regular milk.
There has been a resurgence in people wanting to drink raw milk as part of a belief that raw and unprocessed food is healthier.
They claim it is more nutritious, easier to digest and contains probiotics – and that it’s better for cows and farms.
Dr Rosemary Lester (left) from Victoria’s Department of Health has issued a health warning. The raw milk is often sold near pasteurised milk (right)
However, Dr Lester warned that raw milk can affect the kidneys and the bloodstream and cause watery diarrhoea.
In addition ‘only a small number of these pathogens are needed to cause illness,’ Dr Lester said.
She said unpasteurised milk could make anyone sick but risks were greatest for young children and elderly, pregnant or otherwise unhealthy people.
‘Since the 1940s, it has been compulsory to pasteurise cow’s milk in Australia,’ Dr Lester said.
‘Milk is heated for a very short period of time, effectively destroying any disease-causing bacteria which may be present in raw milk.’
Dr Lester has referred the matter to Consumer Affairs Victoria and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), saying bath milk packaging was very similar to drinking milk and they could be easily confused.
Consumer Affairs Victoria director Dr Claire Noone says the watchdog will review the marketing of raw milk and work with the ACCC to establish whether there had been a breach of consumer law.
‘In Victoria it is illegal to package, deliver or provide raw milk for human consumption. However, it still may be labelled and sold for cosmetic use,’ she said in a statement on Thursday.
An ACCC spokesperson said the commission would consider the adequacy of labelling but urged consumers to follow safety instructions on product packaging.
The State Coroner will investigate the child’s death.
Dr Lester says on the Department’s website: ‘The Department has been notified of a number of illnesses including three cases of Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS) and two cases of cryptosporidiosis. All cases have consumed unpasteurised (raw) milk which is sold as ‘bath’ or ‘cosmetic’ milk in Victoria.’
She explained: ‘Cryptosporidiosis is a parasitic infection that commonly presents are gastroenteritis with watery diarrhoea.
‘HUS is a rare condition which can be caused by shiga toxin and verotoxin producing E.coli that affects the kidneys and the bloodstream. Children are most susceptible to contracting HUS, which begins with abdominal pains and bloody diarrhoea which can last for about a week.
‘Serious cases of HUS can lead to renal failure and death. Only small numbers of these pathogens are needed to cause illness.’
Because the products are classed as cosmetic and are marked ‘not for human consumption’ the department has no power to recall them.
Dr Lester said: ‘In Australia, the sale of unpasteurised (raw) cow’s milk for human consumption is illegal. In Victoria, it is also illegal to package, deliver or provide unpasteurised (raw) milk for human consumption. Unpasteurised milk is sometimes labelled and sold for cosmetic use only.
‘Packaging of unpasteurised milk is often very similar to other milk products.
‘Unpasteurised milk should not be consumed.’
