What! no Camembert..?
French Unpasteurised Cow’s Milk Cheeses
Is it all an unfortunate misunderstanding... or are the bureaucrats just ill-informed..?
You may have noticed a lack of certain French cheeses on our Cheese Room shelves of late.
You may have read about it or heard it on the news.
Currently we are unable to source our French unpasteurised cow’s milk cheeses due to DEFRA’s current restrictions on bringing in raw milk cow's cheese from France due to the recent outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in France and Italy.
So what happened..?
A lot of media attention regarding this skin condition has not really been clear. The problem occurred when a small herd of cows in the Savoie region reported a skin condition in their cows called Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) and this in turn brought about restrictions on importing unpasteurised cow's milk and fresh cheese and cream and butter.
We would stress that this condition in cows does not affect the milk and in France unpasteurised milk cheese and dairy continues to be produced, sold and consumed.
The French Veterinary department have isolated 4 zones in the region where the single farm reported the problem, and the farms in these 4 zones are housing their cows indoors and feeding them a pasteurised feed while vaccines are being injected as a precautionary measure to avoid the LSD spreading within the 4 zones. The infection is caused by flies and mosquito bites which in turn is uncomfortable for the cattle and skin infections are easy to transfer.
The French Government agencies have tested cow's milk at all stages from unpasteurised, thermised and pasteurised and they are all coming back without harmful pathogens. The EU regulations are extremely robust and they are allied to the World Health Regulations too.
So What are we doing..?
DEFRA are holding back raw milk soft cheeses from being imported into the UK with no clear understanding or in fact any data or proof that the raw milk is affected by LSD in any shape or form, they are orchestrating a decline in raw milk cheesemaking and making it ever more difficult for producers to champion a traditional skill and also champion the purity of their milk supply.
Raw Milk cheese predominantly comes from single herds for cheesemaking as well as very locally sourced close to the dairy from farms that have close connections with the cheesemaker. This is the traditional way and our ethos has always been to follow the traditions, with seasonality and regionality being the very apex of our selections. Do we want to lose those connections and the values of raw milk cheesemaking for globalisation? Keeping things in place and of their place is so important and if DEFRA are slowly infiltrating the specialist cheesemaking by inferring raw milk is not safe in the way they are doing at the moment, then this must be addressed.
Our latest information from the UK Government has been that they are lifting a block on thermised milk and dairy products produced after June 2025 and new paperwork is in place for products entering into the UK from France. However, unpasteurised milk is still not allowed.
Patricia has been in contact on a daily basis with all the Government departments asking for an answer to our questions as follows:
Have tests been done in the UK of French unpasteurised cow's milk (after June 2025) for any detrimental pathogens or bacteria related to LSD that would be harmful to humans. Have tests been done in the UK of French unpasteurised cow's milk cheeses made after June 2025 for any detrimental pathogens or bacteria related to the LSD that would be harmful to humans.
As far as we know there are no known harmful effects from the milk of cows with LSD as it is a condition whereby cattle have a depressive issue due to the effects of the bites and that in turn reduces the quantity and quality of the milk which then in extreme cases becomes a fatality for the animal. As this current outbreak in one farm has been quickly observed and dealt with, the French Veterinary authorities are just being extra cautious in isolating farms in the immediate area to keep testing and observing herds as well as carrying out vaccinations.
Our French cheesemakers and farms have kept us updated, as little information has been forthcoming from the UK side and even the Port Authorities are under informed about the situation which they are finding very frustrating as they have been sent information that is very basic and does not explain the situation.
So what do we do now..?
We are hoping that in a month we will be back to receiving all the unpasteurised French cow's milk cheese we so love and enjoy. At least this is our hope!
For us it is a great pity that the UK DEFRA has deployed this current ruling which smacks of their continued distrust of unpasteurised milk and dairy products.
That said, our Cheese Rooms continue to be well stocked with wonderful artisan & farmhouse cheeses from all over Europe. Take this opportunity to perhaps try some thing different, such as Baron Bigod from Suffolk instead of Brie de Meaux, or head to Switzerland for Raclette. Our cheesemongers are on hand to give advise and tastings to help you discover some new favourites.
