Straight from the cow – farm sells raw milk from roadside vending machine

A family-run dairy farm has embarked on a new raw milk venture to help keep it afloat.
Scorton Road Farm, in South Cowton,  has been kept in the family for the past 95 years and is run today by third generation farmers David and Anne Alderson along with their son, William, 23. 
The farm, between Scotch Corner and Northallerton, is home to a herd of 60 pedigree Holstein and Ayrshire cows who produce about 2,000 litres of milk every day.
Like many of the country’s dairy farmers, the family became caught up in the milk crisis, which hit the industry hard in 2015. To help cut costs, they have now begun to sell raw milk from a self-service vending machine at the farm gates. It’s being billed as “straight from the cow” and is not pasteurised.
William said: “The crisis hit everyone’s cash flow.  We were selling a lot of milk to suppliers at 11p per litre. It costs us around 24p per litre so we were losing a lot. This is an extra income source.”
Having studied agriculture for four years at Harper Adams University in Shropshire, William became  more aware that changing times were ahead for his family’s livelihood. Following his return home, he decided to explore the idea of cutting out the middle man by selling some of their milk direct to the consumer, as well as continuing to sell some to suppliers.
Atley Hill Raw Milk was established on the farm, just outside Scorton, earlier this month.
He said: “It is completely self-service so it does not tie us down. It is pretty easy to use too. Fresh milk is put in the machine everyday and it is cleaned out and sterilised daily. The machine is also sterilised before it fills each bottle.
“The milk is filtered and chilled. It is not pasteurised and non-homogenised. It is straight from the cow basically. It is also free range. The herd is grass-fed predominantly which means the milk is higher in Omega 3.
“It is milk like no other. You can buy your milk from the supermarket but the taste will not compare. It is much creamier and thicker. We have had some really good feedback and some return custom too.”
The raw milk costs £1 per litre and can be purchased in one-litre or two-litre bottles which are provided. The vending machine is in one of the farm’s outbuildings at the side of the B1263 and is open seven days a week from 7am until 7pm.
Mrs Alderson said: “This is the new generation coming in to farm. The ethos of college has transported into William’s nature. It has impacted on us. We have to move with the times.
“One man has been for his milk every morning since we opened. People have tasted it and are now starting to come back again.”
The milk is tested weekly by Payne’s Dairies for bad bacteria.The Food Standards Agency also check and sample the milk quarterly as well as the dairy hygiene inspector who visits every six months.
Mrs Alderson said: “We do everything we can to make sure our milk is the best it can be. Cleanliness is paramount to our ethos and our tradition.”
Because the milk is not pasteurised, it contains a full range of B and C vitamins which would usually be killed off. Large amounts of vitamin A are also found in the milk due to the lack of processing. The calcium in the milk is also fully soluble and digestible.
Although drinking raw milk offers an array of vitamins, digestive enzymes and health benefits, consumers are warned that it could contain harmful organisms.
A spokesperson for the Food Standards Agency said: “Unpasteurised or raw milk may contain harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning because it has not been heat treated.
“Long standing FSA advice has been that vulnerable people – that’s older people, infants, children, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems – should not consume raw drinking milk.”
The Aldersons scooped silver for the best tasting milk at last year’s Great Yorkshire Show and are now hoping to spread the word about their new side business and build up a customer base.
Mrs Alderson said: “At the moment it is a learning curve but we love meeting people. The public want to support farmers but they might not know how to do it. This gives people that chance. The locals have supported us and we are very grateful for that.”