Illness linked to raw milk farm
Raw milk with possible campylobacter bacteria in it is being recalled in Hawke’s Bay after a regular drinker was admitted to hospital.
The Ministry for Primary Industries has recalled batches of raw milk from Lindsay Farm, one of New Zealand’s largest raw milk producers, some of which were found to contain campylobacter.
The recall affects Lindsay Farm branded raw drinking milk with a date marking between July 3 and August 11, distributed in a range of locations between Dannevirke and Auckland.
The product is sold in 2 litre plastic bottles.
Co-owner of the Central Hawke’s Bay raw milk supplier Ange Brooks said the farm had been inundated with messages from well-wishers since the recall on Thursday night.
“We’ve had heaps of people showing their support for our raw milk.”
Brooks said the milk was tested last Monday and the results came back late on Tuesday this week.
She said the testing was instigated by the farm as part of following MPI protocols.
Hawke’s Bay District Health said campylobacter infection was found in a person whose family regularly drank Lindsay Farm’s raw milk.
The person was admitted to hospital but has since been discharged. There were no other reports of illness in the family.
MPI is working with Hawke’s Bay District Health Board to minimise risk to the public and Lindsay Farm has notified all of its customers.
MPI food compliance manager Melinda Sando said people with Lindsay Farm raw milk at home should visit the MPI recalls website to check if it is among the batches of recalled product.
“If you have any of the recalled product, please throw it out or return it to your supplier,” Sando said.
“You can also heat the raw milk until just boiling or at 70C for one minute to kill any bacteria present before drinking it.
“Raw milk should also be refrigerated (at 4C or less) to reduce the risk of any harmful bacteria in the milk growing to levels which may make you sick.”
Sando said if people had any health concerns after drinking the product to talk to their doctor.
Symptoms of Campylobacter
"We’ve had heaps of people showing their support for our raw milk." Co-owner of the Central Hawke’s Bay raw milk supplier Ange Brooks
infection are vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, headache and body aches.
“Drinking raw milk carries inherent risks as it may contain harmful bacteria which are killed through the pasteurisation process,” she said.
Lindsay Farm apologised to its raw milk consumers for any inconvenience caused and asked people to return the milk to Lindsay Farm for a full refund.
The raw milk producer was raided by MPI in December 2019.
The farm was one of several across New Zealand visited by MPI compliance staff with search warrants.
MPI said it had executed the search warrants on what it said were unregistered and “noncompliant” suppliers, following a year-long operation.
The Government’s dramatic intervention in the raw milk market struck a nerve in the Hawke’s Bay community. Letters of support flooded in and demand for Lindsay Farm milk has since soared.
In July Lindsay Farm pleaded with MPI to change its “unfit-forpurpose” regulations around the delivery of raw milk, so it could cater to the spike that MPI in part caused by its raid.
MPI regulations allow raw milk (which is not pasteurised, standardised or homogenised) to be sold by farmers, but only on-premises or through delivery to a customer’s home.