Information about the quality of milk from the Vista Alegre farm dairy herd is offered below. We consider this information to be vital for both ourselves as farmers and for consumers if we wish to jointly further food sovereignty. We also hope to clarify some of the doubts concerning the relationship between milk quality and dairy cow feeding regimes on the one hand, and milk quality and the way milk is processed before being consumed on the other.


Introduction

Three of the issues that heavily influence the nutrient composition and health quality of milk from the Vista Alegre dairy herd are:

•    the type of fodder given to cows and the way it is supplied

•    the importance given to cleanliness and hygiene on the farm and in milking

•    the way milk is processed in the farm dairy

As far as the type of fodder given to the dairy herd is concerned, two parameters have a positive impact on milk quality: firstly, the high percentage of forage in fodder and the low percentage of concentrates; and, secondly, the fact that cows graze at least seven months a year, weather permitting. Our cows are not permanently stabled and are thus able to move around more freely, a fact that has positive implications for the dairy herd’s health.



As far as hygiene is concerned, in both livestock management and milking, particular attention is paid to cleanliness in fields, cow barns and the milking parlour on the farm.

With regards to the type of processing applied to milk, this is pasteurised at 63-65ºC  for 30 minutes. Milk is not homogenised to avoid applying greater pressure which can alter milk and to uphold the precautionary principle, given the scientific data concerning the possible adverse impacts of homogenisation for consumer health (see the document “Getting to know milk”). Fresh and soft cheese is made from pasteurised milk, whilst yoghurt is the result of a different process during which milk is heated to 90ºC. Our fine cheeses and mature cheeses are made with raw milk, something we are able to do given that our milk has "A" category status from a health and hygiene point of view. Milk from the Vista Alegre farm is not enriched in any way and the presence of each nutrient, such as calcium or non saturated fatty acids (the omegas) is a result of the way in which the cows are fed and our dairy products made.

Milk pasteurising machine

Periodical, official analysis of our milk reveals and validates its quality. We publish mean monthly results of the analyses undertaken by the Official Milk Laboratory in Cantabria (OMLC) in our website spot "month by month on the farm".

Index