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Images from Organoleptic Tasting of Irish Raw Milk Cheese, August 2007
Irish Raw Cow's Milk Cheese Presidium
Irish cow's raw milk cheeses, continually harassed by the hyper-hygienist obsessions of the food bureaucracy, are a perfect example of a food under threat. Their excellence as a foodstuff, their link to their place of origin, and their individual differences, also mark them out as outstanding food products. Thus ICRMC (Irish Cow's Raw Milk Cheeses) are a perfect subject for a Slow Food Presidia.
'Be aware that once the knowledge, skills and committment of this culture have been lost, they can never be regained'. (Sir Julian Rose, Manifesto in defence of Raw-Milk Cheese.)
John McKenna
Please note if you are interested in our farmhouse cheese that CAIS, the Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers Association, is offering a special yearly subscription rate of ?50 for new members. This entitles you to a link on the CAIS website, plus access to the members info site, inclusion in CAIS meetings and a vote at the AGM. All new members very welcome ,come and support our Farmhouse Cheese Sector. Contact Lucy Hayes 065 7072008 or email mtcallan@oceanfree.net
Click for Image of the Presidia stall at 'Cheese' 2005
Image of Presidia at Salone 2004
IRCMC Protocol
Introduction
The purpose of this Presidium is to encourage and support raw cow’s milk farmhouse cheese producers throughout Ireland and to widen appreciation for this specialist product. We wish to celebrate the distinctive merits of Irish raw milk cheese, the environment from which it springs, its artisans and its varied styles of production. We hope that the activities of the Presidium will raise awareness amongst consumers, retailers and food policy experts of the quality, benefits and enjoyment of Irish raw milk cheese. To this end, this Protocol marks an opportunity to outline the characteristics and criteria that underpin the production of this well-regarded sector.
Justification for the IRCMC Presidium
Unlike many presidia that concentrate on one particular product with distinctive properties from a specific geographical area, this Presidium covers many different types of cheeses from across the island of Ireland. Although there are many differences in the individual style of the cheese makers included here, their similarities are greater and include the following:
· Produce cheese using fresh raw* milk from their own or nearby dairy herds.
· They share a common commitment to producing a safe, high quality and flavoursome product available for the enjoyment of consumers.
· Their implementation of rigorous hygiene and food safety standards should be recognised by the regulatory authorities as the policing of standards place RCMC producers under intense and costly scrutiny.
* The Presidium follows the European Commission's definition of raw milk as
"milk produced by the secretion of the mammary glands of farmed animals that
has not been heated to more than 40ºC or undergone any treatment that has an
equivalent effect" (Regulation 853/2004). This means that none of the
Presidium cheeses can be made from milk subject to thermization (its heating
to between 57ºC and 68ºC).
Criteria of the Presidium
The quality of cheese is a reflection of the quality of the milk: low-grade milk will not produce a good cheese. Consequently, there are some characteristics that must be outlined regarding the raw ingredient before considering the cheese making process.
Herd management
1. The dairy cattle that yield the milk for IRCMC are from a variety of breeds – friesians principally, but also shorthorn crosses, Kerry, Dutch MRI and Montbeliarde. Breed of animal, then, is not a distinguishing characteristic, although closed herds that have not experienced significant genetic improvement may have become well adapted to the prevailing agro-ecological conditions of their area enabling them to make optimal use of available grazing and supplementary feeding. The milk produced by this herd is consequently the first distinguishing characteristic of the cheese.
2. In all cases herds feed principally on pasture for eight or nine months as the moist maritime temperate climate with prevailing south-westerly winds enables grass growth over much of the year. Pasture productivity is maintained through applications of synthetic (NPK) fertilisers as well as the spreading of the stockyard slurry. Well established pasture land in which there is limited herbicide spraying would offer some botanical variety in grazing, reflecting the local ecology, and herbs can pass an aromatic influence through the milk to the cheese. Naturally the character of the soil and the application of fertilisers, are all factors that will affect the quality of pasture and therefore of the milk.
3. Supplementary and winter feeding will also have an important bearing on milk quality, especially if the herd are year-round milkers with winter and summer calving patterns. The primary source of fodder for livestock in Ireland is silage and beet pulp and this is usually supplemented, according to individual farmer’s practice, with high-protein concentrates.
4. The health of the animals reflects the care and respect with which they are treated. Herd sizes tend toward being relatively small compared to the large commercial dairy operations. Adequate feed and water and appropriate housing is vital. Animals that fall sick are generally isolated from the rest of the herd and their milk is excluded from use in making cheese.
Origin of Milk
For cheese makers who buy in part or all of their milk, their responsibility extends to having a full understanding of the way in which their suppliers fulfil the above criteria.
5. Proximity of the dairy herd to the cheese making facility. For many cheese makers who buy in their milk the issue arises of distance between milking parlour and dairy. It is not possible to impose arbitrary distances here, for there are many factors that will influence this issue. First, is that the cheese maker must have a relationship of trust with a farmer who is a good stockman and one who is committed to achieving the highest quality fresh milk. Then there is the issue of whether the farmer can supply on a year-round or seasonal basis. There are issues of quota to negotiate. Finally, there is the logistical matter of collecting and transporting the milk to the cheese dairy. In order that the milk should be in its best possible state we subscribe to the principle that each “batch” of milk to be used for cheese making comprises no more than three milkings and that it should be used within 36 hours of the first milking. Moreover, the distance between parlour and dairy should be kept to a minimum.
The cheese making process
6. There are a wide variety of cheese-making practices within the dairy in Ireland today. The choice of starters, rennets, and other ingredients (including use of additions for flavour) will be the result of trial and error and the individual preference of the cheese maker. It is important to note here that, unlike the product designation labelling common in continental Europe which prescribes precise procedures from which deviation can result in the suspension of the product from the preferred list, this Presidium supports and encourages innovation in the pursuit of quality.
7. We acknowledge the importance of the local micro-flora to the development of the cheese. Humidity and temperature are key parameters in the appropriate development of micro-flora on the surface of the cheese.
8. We recognise that cheese making is a labour-intensive activity deploying considerable vernacular knowledge in the process and that this is an intrinsic part of what gives the cheeses distinction.
9. In establishing a distinctive market presence for the product, cheese makers have developed their own individual packaging solutions from which they may not wish to deviate. However, in the interests of sustainability and conscious of our responsibilities in reducing waste streams by employing materials that can be recovered, reused or recycled, Presidium cheeses would demonstrate, as far as practicable, a commitment to using environmentally sound packaging materials.
10. In keeping with an aspiration to achieving best environmental practice it is also appropriate to note that some cheese makers have invested heavily in establishing environmentally sound ways of managing the waste stream – whey and other liquid waste from the dairy. While the Presidium is principally concerned with helping to raise the quality of raw cow’s milk cheese it must also contribute to efforts to strengthen the quality of the Irish environment.
Membership of the Presidium
The criteria for entry to membership of the Presidium will be as follows:
· That the cheese is produced from fresh raw cow’s milk on the island of Ireland and that it meets the criteria noted above regarding herd management, the proximity principle and the cheese making process.
· That the cheese be on the market for a minimum of two years.
· That the cheese has been allocated an E.U. health mark
· A desire on the part of the cheese maker to be a part of the Presidium and to support its efforts to raise the status and appreciation of raw cow’s milk cheese in Ireland.
Selection and representation
The Presidium is represented by a number of cheeses that might be considered “ambassadors” for Irish raw cow’s milk cheese in general. These cheeses are selected on the basis of their taste and other organoleptic attributes. Only one cheese from each producer can be a representative at any one time. It is the aim of the Presidium to help raise the quality of all cheeses to achieve the highest aesthetic and taste profile.
Colin Sage
On behalf of members of the IRCMC Presidium.
Drumlin
Desmond Raw
Cooleeney Raw
Mt Callan
Dilliskus
Bellingham Blue
St Gall
Durrus
Irish Smoked Wild Atlantic Salmon - Proposed New Presidia - Irish Raw Cow's Milk Cheese