In 1943 there was an outbreak of typhoid in Moorabbin. 23 people died. This was
followed by less serious outbreaks of diphtheria and scarlet fever in other
parts of Victoria. In each case the milk supply was blamed and in 1949 the
state government launched its pasteurization program. It's taken 16
years for it to reach the small dairy farm at Wangaratta. Up until yesterday
Barry Knuth had a license to sell raw milk direct to the public. Today, his only
outlet is one of the big processing companies which will pay him about
thirty five cents a gallon instead of the one dollar and four cents he was
getting from his customers. Barry faces the prospect of having his income
reduced by nearly 2/3 and what's more he says he only had two weeks notice that
the blow was about to fall. On this, the last evening of raw milk sales in
Wangaratta, there was no shortage of customers. Some came with extra billy
cans and containers to stockpile for the future and all of them expressed
incredulous disbelief that milk straight from the tested cows could even remotely
be a health hazard.
When I wrote to Mr Hamer I said, the way things are going we're
not going to have any freedom or any choice of what we do or anything. I've
been on raw milk for nearly 80 years. It's not done you much harm? Do think you'd
have lasted as long as long on pasteurised milk?
I wouldn't know but I don't like pasteurised milk and I don't intend to drink pasteurised milk.
So after today you won't drink milk at all?
No, because I just can't bare the taste of pasteurised milk.
I've got a lot of friends in the country when I go out to my good friends...
A gallon in each of the two one gallon white ones...
A gallon and a half in the other.
Milk from a shop tastes like water I think after this one. But it's supposed to be bad, well not bad
but it can be a health hazard, raw milk.
Can they prove anybody died from it?
Look, the cows are tested it’s not a health hazard.
What about the dirty, filthy, slimy gutters and things about the cities?
They want to clean those up before they pipe down on these.
On her return from work Barry's wife Denise takes over in the dairy ladling
out the milk for a seemingly endless supply of thirsty customers. Normally
they sell here about 80 gallons a day. On this, the last evening of public sales,
they reach a hundred gallons before the supplies ran out and the last customers
had to be sent away empty-handed. With the last of his 50 cows milked, Barry
clears away. A lucrative business behind him and an uncertain future ahead.
He runs this place as a share farmer but he's sunk ten thousand dollars of his
own money into the business.
Well Barry, you sold out today half an hour before closing time. Now from tomorrow you won't
be able to go and sell any raw milk whatsoever. No. What's this going to mean
to you, I mean, what's it gonna mean to your business?
Well, it's gonna cut my income by about 2/3 I suppose. That's it.
That could be fairly disastrous for many people. It's not gonna do me much good that's for
sure. How do you think at the moment it's going to affect you then, in the long run?
Well, in the long run it means I'm not gonna be able to stop here. I'll might be able
to battle on for 12 months or so. Try and leave it till the
cows are worth a little bit more than they are at the moment, that's the biggest thing. They're worth nothing.
Sell them off and start again? Could be. What's your feeling about this business?
Well, from my point of view, we were selling a product that wasn't doing anybody
any harm, it was in demand and it was a quality product, from our point of view.
We did everything that is asked of a dairy man to do. We were quite happy
there was a quality product. This would be the last time that Denise Knuth
checks the contents of a well-stocked till. It's been a bumper end to the raw
milk business, but the future may not be so profitable.