Many supermarkets now stock local unpasteurised products and they report that demand has steadily increased.A spokeswoman for Waitrose said: “We sell 12 different types of unpasteurised cheese at the moment and are very happy to do so. “In France, you can go into any supermarket and buy a bottle.”The rich, complex taste of unpasteurised milk is considered essential in the production of some of Britain’s most popular gourmet cheeses. “Most people are in this industry because they love cheese – they will just go out of business.”He believes there is no scientific basis to MAFF’s allegations and that moves against drinking milk will be followed by a stand against unpasteurised cheese.In one of Britain’s leading cheese shops, Paxton and Whitfield in London, manager Richard Cooper agreed that pasteurisation is irrelevant to consumer health now tuberculosis has been largely eradicated.”Like any food, cheese can be become infected during the handling and storage process – but this has got nothing to do with pasteurisation. “I personally would not handle pasteurised milk and I know many other cheesemakers that would not either,” said James Aldridge, who developed the Surrey cheese, Tornegus. “On the Continent, a ban like this would be unthinkable,” said Sir Julian Rose, chairman of the Association of Unpasteurised Milk Producers and Consumers.

“For some years, we have been advised that milk direct from the cow can be dangerous to young children and can even inflict liver damage,” a ministry spokesman said The e. coli pathogen, for example, responsible for serious food-poisoning cases, is killed by pasteurisation.But cheese-lovers argue that any hygiene-conscious dairy can easily avoid the problem without resorting to heat-treatment. But aides said the earliest he could take off now was Tuesday Reuters. THE future of small dairy farms across the country is in jeopardy this week as they face a Government ban on unpasteurised milk. Popular speciality cheeses, such as Bonchester, Tornegus, Montgomery Cheddar and Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire, are also threatened by the move, which will infuriate lovers of fine cheese.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Fisheries is expected to ignore the entreaties of the small farmer and stop the flow of untreated or “raw” milk due to concern about the presence of harmful bacteria.MAFF claims its proposed crackdown, which comes after heated public consultation, will not affect cheese-making and is necessary because of levels of contamination.

Steve Fossett, a US stockbroker, reached southern Russia from Omaha earlier this month after getting as far as India last year.Two other Americans had to parachute to ground shortly after lift-off from New Mexico two weeks ago when their balloon started leaking helium.The businessman Richard Branson, who also had to come down after only a few hours last year, is preparing for a new launch from Marrakesh in Morocco. To fly at those heights, they need to pressurise their cabin, but they cannot do that if the leak is not stopped.Without the speed the stream can give them, it is unlikely that the trio would have enough fuel to keep heating the air in the huge balloon above since the voyage would then take much longer than the planned two weeks.This is the latest in a series of attempts to fly round the world non- stop in a hot-air balloon – a feat never yet achieved.Piccard and Verstraeten had to ditch in the Mediterranean after only six hours aloft last year. “I will take my parachute and if all goes horribly wrong I can use that so it will be reasonably comfortable,” Mr Elson said.Inside the balloon’s six-tonne orange and blue cabin with Mr Elson are the mission leader Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss psychiatrist from a famous family of explorers, and a Belgian pilot, Wim Verstraeten.Unless Mr Elson succeeds in plugging the leak, the three will not be able to take the balloon up to 9,000-14,000 metres (six to nine miles) to catch the jet stream winds which should sweep the balloon across the Middle East at 125-250 miles an hour. THREE European balloonists attempting to circle the globe non-stop crossed Italy heading east yesterday on the fourth day of their flight. But the trio, including British flight engineer Andy Elson, are still making slow progress,travelling at less than 10mph at a height of about 16,000ft.
Low wind speeds since the balloon launched from Chateau d’Oex in Switzerland on Wednesday coupled with low fuel levels mean the crew face the possibility of having to bring the craft down before they reach their destination of Algeria.Mr Elson, an enthusiast for high-risk sports, is going to have to climb outside the capsule for the second time to try to eliminate an air leak, mission control said.

The power and influence of global business and capital markets is just going to carry on growing That is what Davos is meant to tell you.. After three days of intensive conferencing nobody is much the wiser as to what they should be But one thing is certain. As well he might, for each participant pays about pounds 15,000 to be here, once expenses are taken into account.The topics under discussion range from the obvious – the impact on the world economy of the crisis in the Far East – to creativity, genealogy and spirituality in the next century. It is hard to see how some of this is going to help the average executive, but most participants claim to get something out of the relaxed and faintly anarchic atmosphere.Davos has a hidden side which can only be guessed at. Behind the offical programme, there are other sessions and meetings.