Make Raw Milk Legal for Human Consumption

[bristolman]

When we were students we used to get half cut before we went out to save money. But I guess thus doesn't help if you want to actually drink the wine with the meal!

 

I tend to drive so can't have more than pint with a meal anyway. It's worth noting there are BYO restaurants here and the numbers are growing all the time.

[newjez]

We've had this conversation before. I'm quite prepared to believe things are cheaper further north, but as you're not a wine drinker, maybe you're not fully aware how expensive it is. In Australia, we used to buy reasonable wine - our budget was between $10 and $12 a bottle. We struggle to find wine in any of the supermarkets for £5 or £6 - they do exist as specials but the choice is always limited.

 

In Australia we would then take a bottle to the restaurant when we ate out. In the UK, we have to buy the bottle from the restaurant or pub - and the cheapest I've seen on the menu is £11 (in other words, double the cost of our BYO bottle). Most restaurants charge far more than that. If we decide to economise and just have a glass, it's likely to cost £3 to £4 - so just one glass each, and again we've spent more on wine than we would've in the UK for our whole bottle!

 

That means that, even if we find a restaurant where the food prices are similar to the UK, it's going to cost us considerably more.

 

 

Fair dues, the Australian byo restaurant is hard to beat for value. Not sure why they don't do more of it in the UK, (there is a byo Indian near Havant station, though it's not the best Indian I've had, large portions though). I think they must make most of their profit on the wine.

[newjez]

Can you please confirm if sale of raw milk is banned everywhere in Australia? Or are there regions/states/territories where they allow sale of raw milk?

 

 

I'm sure you could get a decent size plot of land and have your own cow. Then you can do what you want with it. But you won't get away from the fact that boiling milk will kill everything in it. It's the reason pasteurisation was such a hit.

[Skani]

The water the cows drink would be different. You can get a very hard water in the UK. Not sure how this would affect the milk.

 

The overall diet of the cow affects the fat and protein composition of the milk more than anything else...and that can vary enormously from one place to another.

 

A warmer climate means a greater proportion of fresh grass in the diet whereas colder climates necessitate a different diet...eg more concentrates, supplements, silage (preserved grass or other crops).

 

Also, different breeds of dairy cows can produce "different" milk. Traditionally the Jersey cow produced the richest milk (with the greatest proportion of cream) - but not as much quantity as the larger Friesian/Holstein cows (the black and white ones). And because quantity wins over quality in most consumer food industries in this day and age....most commercial dairies go with the large, big producing Friesian type milkers.

[bristolman]

The overall diet of the cow affects the fat and protein composition of the milk more than anything else...and that can vary enormously from one place to another.

 

A warmer climate means a greater proportion of fresh grass in the diet whereas colder climates necessitate a different diet...eg more concentrates, supplements, silage (preserved grass or other crops).

 

Also, different breeds of dairy cows can produce "different" milk. Traditionally the Jersey cow produced the richest milk (with the greatest proportion of cream) - but not as much quantity as the larger Friesian/Holstein cows (the black and white ones). And because quantity wins over quality in most consumer food industries in this day and age....most commercial dairies go with the large, big producing Friesian type milkers.

 

I would have thought a climate like the UK would be more likely to consist of more greener, fresher grass ? The fields here certainly look to be much more fertile and the grass is always lush.

[Marisawright]

It's very easy to find a good £5 bottle of wine in most of the supermarkets. The reason I disagree with much of what you say is because it isn't what we are finding. I have noticed you say something like you can't live a city lifestyle as it's too expensive in the UK, actually it is perfectly possible to do it in the UK but you haven't been able to do it where you are. I sincerely believe for your own long term good you need to move, even just as far as Bristol for instance. Also it doesn't help that you are using $ as this seems to be artificially inflating what you are spending. I'm really not having a go at you, I do feel where you have found yourself is seriously distorting your view.

 

How many times do I have to say, I'm accepting your word that many things are cheaper in the north.

 

I must say it had not occurred to me that supermarkets would adapt their prices depending on area, but obviously I am naive. Trust me, we drink wine every day so I have had plenty of experience trying to find drinkable wine under £5.99 in Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, the Coop and even Lidl over the last few weeks. It's difficult, other than specials of which there's usually only one or two.

 

However, the main point of that post was how the lack of BYO makes eating out unaffordable - which you conveniently ignore in your reply.

 

As for "using $" - I'm not sure how I can compare prices in the UK and Australia without using $ at some point. Also my income comes from Australia.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Marisawright

[Danny842003]

How many times do I have to say, I'm accepting your word that many things are cheaper in the north.

 

I must say it had not occurred to me that supermarkets would adapt their prices depending on area, but obviously I am naive. Trust me, we drink wine every day so I have had plenty of experience trying to find wine under £5.99 in Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, the Coop and even Lidl over the last few weeks. It's very difficult, other than specials.

 

Besides, I do feel you're having a go at me because the main point of that post was why eating out is so expensive - which you don't even acknowledge in your reply.

 

As for "using $" - I'm not sure how I can compare prices in the UK and Australia without using $ at some point. Also my income comes from Australia.

 

I think he is talking about the $ being week at the moment. 4 years ago when i first backpacked around australia i felt the country was as expensive as say Norway. Today having lived here many everyday items seem cheaper than back home. Obviously with your income being tied to the $ it gives a false representation of living costs compared to someone who's income was in £s.

[Skani]

Can you please confirm if sale of raw milk is banned everywhere in Australia? Or are there regions/states/territories where they allow sale of raw milk?

 

It is illegal to sell raw milk for drinking everywhere in Australia.

[Skani]

I would have thought a climate like the UK would be more likely to consist of more greener, fresher grass ? The fields here certainly look to be much more fertile and the grass is always lush.

 

Because of the colder winters in the UK the production of grass slows down or stops completely in winter...much less so in Australia.

 

The major dairy producing areas of Oz are the high rainfall areas - not the drought prone sunburnt parts - so have no trouble producing green fresh grass.

[Que Sera Sera]

Because of the colder winters in the UK the production of grass slows down or stops completely in winter...much less so in Australia.

 

The major dairy producing areas of Oz are the high rainfall areas - not the drought prone sunburnt parts - so have no trouble producing green fresh grass.

 

 

Yes in in our close proximity the dairy farmers are in SW , WA, very green, lush and predominately cooler.

[bristolman]

How many times do I have to say, I'm accepting your word that many things are cheaper in the north.

 

I must say it had not occurred to me that supermarkets would adapt their prices depending on area, but obviously I am naive. Trust me, we drink wine every day so I have had plenty of experience trying to find wine under £5.99 in Tesco, Sainsburys, Waitrose, M&S, Asda, the Coop and even Lidl over the last few weeks. It's difficult, other than specials.

 

However, the main point of that post was how the lack of BYO makes eating out unaffordable - which you conveniently ignore in your reply.

 

As for "using $" - I'm not sure how I can compare prices in the UK and Australia without using $ at some point. Also my income comes from Australia.

 

In fairness we aren't in the North. I didn't actually ignore the lack of BYO, I actually addressed that in a different message.

I'm not sure supermarkets do adapt their prices, I thought most of them have a common price policy throughout the country ?

Yes as you say your income comes from Australia, hence why I commented on spending $, I didn't mean you paid your bill in $

It appears to an outsider that you are clearly discontented here and that appears to be clouding your judgement perhaps ? If someone were to make a seemingly inaccurate statement about Australia I would fully expect someone to attempt to balance that, it is the same in reverse. When item X is £10 and seems cheap to us for you it may seem expensive as it is costing in excess of $20. 3 years ago that same item was closer to $14. I still feel you would be better suited to somewhere other than where you are, somewhere more cosmopolitan perhaps ?

[bristolman]

Because of the colder winters in the UK the production of grass slows down or stops completely in winter...much less so in Australia.

 

The major dairy producing areas of Oz are the high rainfall areas - not the drought prone sunburnt parts - so have no trouble producing green fresh grass.

 

I guess because we live in a rural dairy producing area I see things differently perhaps but yes grass production certainly does slow down for a couple of months in the winter.

[ali]

Can you please confirm if sale of raw milk is banned everywhere in Australia? Or are there regions/states/territories where they allow sale of raw milk?

 

I think it's illegal in all states and territories