A pilot project in Co Cork to produce "super kosher" milk products for orthodox Jews has been warmly endorsed by a rabbi who predicted that it could lead to further business for the small co-op involved and its 130 supplying farmers.
Rabbi Akiva Padwa, from London, was one of some 30 orthodox Jews who spent the past three weeks in Kanturk, Co Cork, supervising the arrangement with local milk processor, North Cork Co-op, for the production of super kosher casein for food products.
Orthodox Jews in London and elsewhere have long sourced regular kosher milk products from Irish companies such as Dairygold, Kerry Group and Glanbia, where rabbis or other senior members of the Jewish faith supervise production.
However, for dairy products to be deemed super kosher, the supervision must take place at individual farm level with members of the Jewish faith visiting the farms and ensuring milk comes solely from cows or goats which are kosher animals.
Rabbi Padwa explained: "Given the large-scale commercial nature of most milk production in the UK and elsewhere, it would be logistically unrealistic to try and supervise milking on each individual farm and so most milk products are deemed regular kosher. However, North Cork Co-op draws its milk from just 130 suppliers which means it was much easier for us to go out and supervise the milking process at the farm, and then later at the co-op when it is converted into casein so it can be classified as super kosher."
Rabbi Padwa and his fellow Jews used to get up at 5am most mornings and visit the farms before milking to check everything was in order. They would also seal the tanks after milking, and then attend at collection to ensure the milk would meet super kosher standard.
North Cork Co-op production manager Roger McCarthy said, "We're lucky in that we have a very small catchment area - all our suppliers are within a 20 to 25-mile radius, so it was easy for people to travel out and supervise the milking and collection.
"But it still required a lot of assistance from the farmers in terms of timing things."
