Lovers of raw milk, ethical animal treatment and sustainable local industry are coming together to build on a concept called Herdshare. A herdshare is a co-operative of people who buy a herd of cows and then pay a manager to care for, board and milk their cows. In return, the cow share owners pick up their fresh dairy produce from their local farmers markets, for free.

Joanne Hay, director of Herdshare.com, told The Echo, ‘Many people don’t drink cows milk or eat beef for ethical reasons. Herdshare puts the treatment of the animals back in the control of the consumers, not the corporations.’

From a health perspective, the benefits of raw, unprocessed milk have all but been forgotten. According to its supporters, many modern diseases never existed when consumers could access fresh, unprocessed real milk from local farmers.

Milk straight from the cow is nutritionally superior to modern processed milk. It is not pasteurised or homogenised and therefore retains all of its original enzymes, friendly bacteria, vitamins, proteins and calcium – among other goodies.

If you are interested in the concept of herd sharing, and would like to know more about it you can visit herdshare.com for further information.