FAQs

CJ’s Farm – Home of the West Coasts’ ONLY Producer of Fresh Farm Raw Milk

How Fresh is CJ’s Raw Milk?

Fresh AS!! We milk our Raw Milk herd once a day which makes the milk much creamier.
Our milk comes straight from our cows and into a chiller fresh each morning – ready for your bottle.
The whole process takes about 15 minutes!!!

Is CJ’s Raw Milk Government Approved?

YES We are registered under the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Regulated Control Scheme (RCS).

MPI Registration Number FD000036

What tests are we subject to?

We are audited once a year – once by MPI where they look at everything to ensure we are safe, we are keeping all the book work up to date and they also look at our herd’s health and farming practices’.

We also get audited by AsureQuality Limited once a year – this looks in detail at out milking shed and all the equipment – including refrigeration and our Mechanical Cow – dispensing machine..

We have our milk tested for all pathogens every 10 days by an AsureQuality Limited contracted laboratory – Eurofins in Rolleston.

Are there risks when consuming Raw Milk?

There may be.  MPI advise as follows:

“Raw milk may contain harmful microorganisms that can cause serious illness. To reduce the risk of illness, raw milk should be heated to at least 70 ⁰C for one minute. This is critical for infants, young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems”.

  • How do I protect myself from the risks that maybe associated with Raw Milk?
  • Buy it only from a registered raw milk supplier, like us.
    • We are required to, and do, follow strict hygiene practices, and sell raw milk directly from the farm gate or by home delivery.
  • Keep your milk chilled while transporting it home from our farm.
  • Store your raw milk at 4 degrees Celsius or less in your fridge.
  • Throw it out if it’s been left out of the fridge for 2 or more hours.
  • The safest option is to heat raw milk to 70 degrees Celsius and hold it at that temperature for 1 minute. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat the milk until it nearly reaches a boil (or scald the milk) before drinking it.

Raw Milk Safety – MPI Video on how to keep safe….

What Tests are we required to do?

We Self-test – we take samples of our milk once every 10 days and send it to a Ministry Of Primary Industries (MPI) approved laboratory – Eurfins in Rolleston.

We test, once every 10 days, for:

  • Salmonella spp
  • Listeria monocytogenes
  • Campylobacter spp
  • Coagulase Positive Staphylococci
  • Escherichia coli
  • Total coliforms (Once every 15 days)
  • Aerobic Plate Count
  • Somatic Cell Count
  • Inhibitory Substances

We are part of the MPI Regulatory Control Scheme (RCS) which requires us to be certified every two years. Our Herd, farm and plant undergoes a Veterinary check every six months.

We have a MPI approved Annual Plant check, where our plant is checked for compliance.

We maintain, and comply with, a Risk Management Programme – this sets standards for daily operations, cleanliness, storage and dispensing of milk and dealing with vermin.

We are part of the MPI Regulatory Control Scheme (RCS) which requires us to be certified every two years.
We have a MPI approved Annual Plant check, where our plant is checked for compliance.

Our Herd, farm and plant undergoes a Veterinary check every six months.

We maintain, and comply with, a Risk Management Programme – this sets standards for daily operations, cleanliness, storage and dispensing of milk, dealing with vermin and making sure YOUR milk is SAFE.

Is CJ’S Fresh Farm Milk Organic Certified?

NO– but we farm in such a way that our operation is sustainable – if we use fertilisers, we use non acidic types and use effluent on the pasture. This means our soils are very healthy and full of life (lots of Earthy Worms).
Our cows are all grass fed and fed silage grown on the farm or in the surrounding area. WE DONT USE PALM KERNEL.

How do we look after our cows?

We test the cows for minerals and trace element deficiencies and occasionally – when we think they need it – use custom mineral mixes in their feed to make sure they stay in great health. And Our Vet makes regular, at least six monthly, health checks.

MILK AS NATURE INTENDED…..