Unpasteurised Milk Connected With E.Coli Outbreak At Three Farms

Five children and an adult have been taken to hospital with E.coli poisoning after drinking unprocessed "raw milk", prompting food safety watchdogs to issue a warning.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has suspended sales of raw cows' milk and any dairy products made with it at three farms linked to the food poisoning cases.

It is believed the bug is more common in raw milk, which has recently become more popular due to advocates claiming it is healthier, because it has not been heat-treated to kill bacteria.

"Older people, infants, children, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning and these groups should not be consuming raw drinking milk because it hasn’t been heat treated," said FSA chief operating officer Andrew Rhodes.

The six people affected so far include a 28 year old and five children aged 1, 2, 5, 10 and 12.

Raw milk is banned in Scotland, but can legally be sold in the rest of the U.K. In recent months, the FSA has faced pressure by campaign groups to make it easier for farmers to sell the product in high street shops.

If you or a loved one has suffered food poisoning due to poor hygiene standards, our personal injury lawyers could help you claim compensation. Visit our Food Poisoning Claims page for more information.

Expert Opinion

It is welcome to see the FSA taking this step to suspend sales in order to minimise any potential risk of more people being affected by these problems. <br/> <br/>"Through our work on behalf of 11 people who suffered gastric illness symptoms after consuming milk products from Dunn’s Dairy at Beacon View Farm in Devon, we have seen first-hand how issues related to contaminated milk can have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of victims. <br/> <br/>"Irwin Mitchell have recovered compensation for tens of thousands of illness victims in the UK and abroad. <br/> <br/>"Such illnesses can leave those affected with long-term health issues, as well as lead to major disruption in their lives. It is vital that everything possible is done to ensure that the cause of these problems is identified and the risk to the public tackled quickly." Amandeep Dhillon - Partner