Raw milk cheese: Pecora Dairy’s Mike Cains on his Nuffield studies

Mike Cains is one of a handful of Australian farmers getting a slice of the raw cheese market. See why it’s taken him around the world.

Mike Cains with the goats of St James Dairy in Cumbria, UK.

Famed French pharmacist Louis Pasteur would probably pass out if he was still around to see the return of raw milk.

But more than a century since pasteurisation became standard practice around the western world, raw milk cheese producers like Mike Cains are bringing back some traditional practices with commercial success.

The NSW sheep dairy farmer travelled to the United States, Great Britain, Ireland and Pasteur’s homeland France as part of his Nuffield Scholarship to investigate the future of his speciality cheese.

His scholarship was sponsored by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW and he said the transcontinental trek highlighted the potential for Australian dairy to tap into the profitable cheesemaking venture.

“Australia has so much potential to have a thriving domestic cheese industry with raw milk cheese a key factor in strengthening our reputation for quality cheese,” Mr Cains said.

“You only have to look at the craft beer or our world-renowned wine — when high quality

artisanal Australian products are promoted overseas, we can match if not beat the world’s best.

“So my Nuffield research says basically that there’s no reason why Australian cheese can’t follow the same pathway.

“But in order to tap that potential, we need supporting structures around the industry. Easing regulatory burdens around raw milk cheese is clearly something Australia would need to look at and the international examples I cite in my research show the way forward.”

Michael and Cressida Cains from Pecora Dairy. Picture: Wesley Lonergan

Mr Cains and his wife Cressida’s business Pecora Dairy became the first to be licensed to make raw milk cheese in NSW when regulations changed in 2016.

He said it was difficult and expensive to meet the additional requirements that agricultural authorities imposed on them to prove the safety of raw milk cheese when compared to more conventional products.

“At the moment it’s very difficult for cheesemakers to access raw milk unless they’re prepared to milk the animals themselves,” Mr Cains said.

“What we’ve seen since 2016 is that there is huge demand in the market for raw milk cheese.

“You can taste the difference with the changing of the seasons, the type of terrain and fodder the sheep, cattle or goats have subsisted on.

“That’s not a comment against pasteurised milk cheese — of course all types of cheese have a place in the market. But what we’ve been able to demonstrate at Pecora is that there are customers out there seeking raw milk cheese made in Australia.”

Mr Cains noted that Australia imported more than 100,000 tonnes of specialty cheese from Europe annually – presenting an opportunity for domestic production.

“We’ve been importing raw milk cheese from France, from the UK, from all over the globe for many years now. It does seem unfair as a producer that Australian cheesemakers are held to tighter or more complex regulations compared to foreign producers.”

Pecora Dairy became the first to be licensed to make raw milk cheese in NSW when regulations changed in 2016. Picture: Wesley Lonergan

Mr Cains recently won the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW president’s medal at the Sydney Royal Show for the Pecora Dairy Yarrawa, a semi-hard, raw sheep milk cheese. The 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.

Dairy Farmers Victoria president Mark Billing said raw milk cheese was a tiny part of Australia’s cheese production but could prove profitable into the future.

“There are stringent rules and regulations around raw milk and that’s understandable given the risks with health and industry reputation,” Mr Billing said.

“There has been growing interest in raw milk cheese and if that presents opportunities for cheesemakers and the wider industry, then that’s something to be considered. But ultimately, that’s up to Dairy Food Safety Victoria and their equivalents in the other states.”

Mr Cains encouraged other primary producers to take a look at the benefits of Nuffield scholarships following his scholastic travels.

“We’ve been involved in raw milk cheese production for a decade now but the Nuffield scholarship opened my eyes to so many avenues being explored overseas. I really encourage anyone with a passion for agricultural research to consider it.”

Applications for 2025 scholarships are open, until Friday 31 May.