Amid fears that pasteurisation may not kill a bacterium which may trigger Crohn's disease (chronic inflammation of the human intestine) the government is carrying out a nationwide survey.

But dairy farmers Bob and June Wilkinson, who have been milking cows at their Great Budworth Farm owned by the family since 1940, think the idea of milk posing a health risk is ridiculous.

"What are they going to find a problem with next? Milk is the finest health drink there is," said Bob.

"At school when we had BCG tests for TB inoculations, it was the farmers' kids that always had immunity.

"Common sense just doesn't seem to prevail - like with the BSE scare. How clean can we get without people building up their own immunity? People in third world countries have more immunity than we do.

"We produce and eat our own . . you don't find many farmers ailing!"

Bob and June have been drinking farm-fresh milk straight from the cow all their lives.

They only pasteurise the milk they use for their ice cream business.

"We've had no problems," added June. "When you walk round the supermarket I bet there's not one product that doesn't harm one in five million people.

"Someone is allergic to everything, like peanuts. Why pick on milk?"

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