Guest: No good crying over spilt milk

By Mike Barrington and NZPA
Lincoln University professor Keith Woodford would not be selling many copies of his new book Devil in the Milk to Northland dairy farmers, according to Farmers of New Zealand operations manager Bill Guest.
The book argues the dairy industry is not doing enough about a tiny protein fragment in milk that is linked to heart disease, diabetes and schizophrenia.
About half of the New Zealand dairy herd carry what Mr Woodford calls the "milk devil" - beta-casomomorphin7, a derivative of A1 beta-casein, a gene in cows' milk.
The alternative, A2, is carried by the other half of the herd, but the milk products are often mixed.
Mr Woodward wants the industry to switch completely to A2, which he estimates would take 10 years.
A study in the early 1980s revealed a link between A1 milk and diabetes.
But, in Mr Woodford's book, due to be released today , he argues the dairy industry and the Food Safety Authority have denigrated or ignored the risks.
Food Safety Authority director Carole Inkster said yesterday a review in 2004 concluded there was "insufficient overall evidence that either milk has benefits over the other".
"We didn't want people to be scared off milk," she said, claiming Mr Woodford's book was not based on scientific evidence.
However, Mr Woodford alleges in the book that the Food Safety Authority manipulated the 2004 report on A1 and A2 milks by nutrition expert Boyd Swinburn, withholding a summary saying the A1/A2 hypothesis was "potentially very important for public health if it is proved correct".
Mr Woodford said hundreds of New Zealand farmers had been converting herds to produce more A2 milk, but many farmers knew little of the issue other than what they had been told by Fonterra.
Fonterra communications officer Hilary Marrett said the company did not think it would be appropriate to comment on the A1/A2 issue and was referring inquiries to the "independent" Food Safety Authority.
Asked about farmers converting herds to A2 production, she said Fonterra had no policy on A2 milk, paid suppliers no more for it and did not separate it from A1 for any product production.
A former professor of medicine at Auckland University, Sir John Scott, said about 20 percent of the population could be susceptible to A1-associated health problems.
"There is evidence which we're taking seriously. It's not proven. If we change to A2, it might be better," he said.
But Mr Guest said he had never seen evidence of people dying from drinking New Zealand milk. He expected Fonterra and Dairy Institute scientists to come up eventually with evidence to show all milk was safe food.
"There is always somebody writing a book or making a statement claiming everything you put in your mouth is bad for you," Mr Guest said. "Margarine and mutton fat were criticised in the past. Now it's milk. I don't think dairy farmers will be interested in this book."