Mike and Cressida Cains in Aveyron, France, with a wheel of Laguiole AOP cheese.
Making specialty cheeses from raw milk could help Australia’s dairy industry unlock significant value, according to a report published by NSW sheep dairy farmer and cheesemaker Mike Cains.
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The findings are contained in the Nuffield scholar’s report, which is the result of travel to the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and France.
Mike’s Nuffield scholarship was sponsored by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW’s RAS Foundation.
“Australia has great potential to have a thriving domestic and export cheese industry but at the moment, our production is skewed towards the commodity liquid milk market,” Mike said.
He found the Australian cheese industry — across cattle, sheep and goats — could follow the “extraordinary pathway” mapped out by craft beer and wine, which have promoted high-quality artisanal Australian products.
Mike Cains with the goats of St James Dairy in Cumbria, UK.
“There's no reason why Australian cheese can't follow the same pathway. But it needs supporting structures around it to make sure it happens.”
He explained regulatory burden would need to be reduced, and domestic distribution channels broadened.
Mike and his wife Cressida have a deep understanding of the regulations, with their business — Pecora Dairy — becoming the first to be licensed to make raw milk cheese in NSW when regulations changed in 2016.
Tom Duneen from Bo Rua on-site near Cork, Ireland, with Mike and Cressida Cains.
Mike said it was difficult and expensive to meet the additional requirements authorities imposed on them to prove the safety of raw milk cheese, compared to more conventional products.
“As an industry, we need to increase the profile of our domestic cheesemaking.
“We need to celebrate our best products more enthusiastically, allow more flexible arrangements between processors and farm gates, because at the moment it's very difficult for cheesemakers to access raw milk unless they're prepared to milk the animals themselves.
“Raw milk cheese can be a pathway to profitability for farmers, especially smaller farmers, who are otherwise choosing to leave the industry.”
Demonstrating the potential quality of raw milk cheese, Mike and Cressida won the coveted Royal Agricultural Society of NSW President's Medal at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for their Pecora Dairy Yarrawa, a semi-hard, raw sheep milk cheese.
The top honour is awarded to the best product across food and wine categories, and considers taste as well as the product’s environmental, commercial and social impact.
Mike Cains making cheese at Applebys in Cheshire, UK.
Mike’s travels further cemented his belief in the potential for raw milk cheese and he has no doubts about consumer demand for Australian raw milk cheese.
“Australia imports over 100,000 tonnes of specialty cheese from Europe every single year. And Australian specialty cheese production is tiny compared to the amount that we that we import.
“We have a great appetite and great appreciation for quality cheese.”
Mike said Australians love quality locally grown products, such as our wines and craft beers, and dairy is well positioned to benefit from this.
“We have a fantastically run dairy industry that produces milk of flavour, quality and complexity.
“And we just turn all of that into a commodity. There's definitely a place for Australian cheeses.”
