2026-07-09

6. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will outline the current policy governing the production and sale of raw milk in Ireland; whether his Department is considering any changes to the regulatory framework relating to its sale to consumers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52569/26]

On my way into the Dáil today, I walked into my local shop and I could buy an apple-flavoured vape. I could inhale it. I could also buy 20 cigarettes. I cannot, however, go in and buy raw milk easily. I know I am out of my depth as a Dublin TD asking this question, but why is it not possible to get raw milk in a Dublin shop? Why do my constituents sometimes have to travel to the North to get raw milk when adults should be able to make decisions on what we want to consume? I understand that the Minister is going to give me a logical answer about the dangers, but if there is a healthy herd, has the Minister looked at allowing farmers to sell raw milk?

I thank the Deputy for raising this important point. I enjoy his engagement on all things agriculture. I am not sure how many farmers there are in his constittuency but there are a lot of consumers, and I have no doubt they appreciate and enjoy the produce of our farmers. In Ireland, the sale of raw milk for direct consumption is governed by legislation commonly known as the hygiene package. Regulation EC Nos. 852 and 853 of 2004 are particularly relevant. These regulations set out detailed rules for the production and sale of raw milk including hygiene requirements for production on farm and the hygiene standards required when bottling milk. There is also a specific rule for labelling, which requires the milk to be labelled as raw milk. All producers selling raw milk must register with my Department and are subject to risk-based official controls that include inspection, audit and sampling. A derogation in EU and Irish legislation exempts producers selling small quantities of raw milk directly to consumers, that is, sales of less than 30 litres and within a radius of 20 km, from these regulatory requirements. However, these producers are still bound by the general food law provision and they must only put safe food on the market. The advice of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, FSAI, is that the public should not drink raw milk without boiling it first. This is based on advice from the authority’s scientific committee as there is a risk of illness associated with drinking raw milk. There is a reason we pasteurise the milk the vast majority of people use. In 2018, the industry representative body Raw Milk Ireland published guidelines on the sale of raw milk. The guide was developed in conjunction with my Department and the FSAI with the objective of helping producers understand the legal requirements and provide additional information to food business operators with a view to reducing the risks associated with raw milk.

My granny drank raw milk and she lived to 98. We need to look into alternative ways to have locally sourced food. In that regard, I will point to what is happening at EU level and how it ties into this. Brussels is trying to harmonise the upper limits of food supplements such that parents or adults should be allowed to decide what they have. Individual needs are, as they say, individual. If vitamin D is harmonised, that is unfair to stores in Ireland because someone in the south of Spain will not need as much additional vitamin D as we do. I ask that the Department speak to health and shop staff and nutritional therapists who are preventing people from getting sick. This is the same thing as raw milk. We should regulate the choice of a trusted national product rather than regulate for safety, and let the people decide.

We are getting plenty of vitamin D at the minute, which is well received. Our safety standards are beyond reproach in Ireland. When I go on international trade missions - I have just been discussing the value of our trade exports - the first thing discussed in places like Asia and beyond is how trusted our food safety standards are. That is really important. It is not something we will ever be complacent about. It is a unique selling point for us that people know our systems are beyond reproach. Where we have products with a higher level of risk for certain cohorts like infants, pregnant women or people who are immunosuppressed, it is incumbent on us to highlight that so that, to the very point the Deputy made, people can make informed choices. We produce safe food that is nutrient dense. I have drunk raw milk myself and I quite enjoy it but it is an informed decision, no more than eating steak tartare. It is an informed decision that comes with a risk that people are aware of. The reason we cook our food and pasteurise our milk is to take away the risk of microbial problems.

I appreciate that. I look forward to having some tartare and raw milk with the Minister some day. A lot of people these days are getting very sick and very obese. We allow multinationals to come here and sell us cans of carbonated drinks with 40 g of sugar but we do not allow someone to get a glass of raw milk. There is something fundamentally wrong in that sense. I am very grateful for Irish food standards. They are world renowned. I had not known about the increase in value from €10 billion to €20 billion, which the Minister mentioned earlier. There are not many farms in my constituency. The only fields we have are GAA pitches. On the supplements issue, the EU is trying to reduce the maximum levels of vitamin B6 from 25 mg a day to 12 mg and hold vitamin D at 100 µg per day. This is the same regulatory instinct. The Department should listen to healthcare officials who are worried about not being able to provide these vitamins to people in Ireland who need them at a high level.

Thankfully, Irish farmers' food produce is really nutrient dense and protein rich. There is a question scheduled for later today about the threat and impact of GLP-1s on our food-producing nation. These new drugs make people consume 30% less food and drink. I see this as a massive opportunity. If you are on a GLP-1, you are more aware of the additives. People are becoming more aware all the time of vitamins B and D, as the Deputy outlined, and their importance to us. As people take in less on a GLP-1, they become more aware of how important it is not to lose muscle density and to have a protein-high diet. Our pasture-based system for dairy, beef, lamb and beyond produces nutrient-rich food. Our fisheries produce fish full of omega-3 and all the best nutrients. From that perspective, we have a great story to tell here. We have great opportunities from a business perspective to sell that nutrient-rich, protein-dense food, which is really important.