Untreated Milk (Hansard, 13 June 1989)

§ Mr. MacGregor

My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health and for Wales and I are grateful to the 351W very large number of individuals and organisations—over 1,200 in all—who responded to our consultation paper on untreated milk.

The proposal for a ban on sales of untreated milk was supported by the enforcement authorities and by a number of other organisations, mainly those concerned with public health. Organisations and individuals representing producer interests were opposed to a ban. But the main volume of correspondence came from organisations and individuals representing consumers, the overwhelming majority of whom were also opposed to a ban. Their arguments were: —they preferred to drink untreated milk, in spite of the additional health risks which this might involve; and —in accordance with the Government's general philosophy, they should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not to continue drinking untreated milk.

Having carefully considered the representations which have been made—and in particular the large number received from individuals—my right hon. Friends and I have concluded that the consumer view should prevail. We therefore propose to continue to allow sales of' untreated milk. But we recognise that this would continue to present a degree of public health risk, which we are anxious to do what we reasonably can to minimise. We are accordingly proposing that in future: —untreated milk should be more fully labelled, so that the consumer knows that it has not been heat-treated and may contain harmful organisms; —it should be subject to more sophisticated tests, which will have to he reflected in higher milk and dairies charges for producers; and —the procedure under regulation 20 of the Milk and Dairies (General) Regulations 1959 should be simplified to facilitate the issue of heat treatment orders in cases where untreated milk constitutes a threat to health.

Proposals for regulations will be issued shortly to interested parties in the usual way and will indicate the time scale for the various changes proposed. I recognise that new labelling requirements in particular cannot be introduced overnight.

The consultation document also sought views on untreated cream and on cheese made from untreated milk. In both cases there appears to be a need for more informative labelling and I shall be considering this in the light of our Community obligations. Action on goat and sheep milk must await the necessary primary legislation, but prima facie there is a case for making these milks subject to the same rules as cows milk.