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Alderney exports milk to Guernsey

Alderney might not be in the business of sending coals to Newcastle.

But it is sending milk to Guernsey.

Kiln Farm's Mike Cox has - for the first time in living memory - sent a consignment of Alderney's rich whole milk to counteract shortfalls at Guernsey Dairy.

Guernsey has had to suspend sales of organic milk after production was adversely affected by bad weather this year.

Mr Cox said he had sent 400 litres of milk to Guernsey Dairy to be used by award winning Torteval cheese maker Fenella Madison. She was struggling to find enough full cream Guernsey or Jersey milk to produce her soft blue cheese, Fort Grey, which took Gold at world cheese awards in 2012.

Mr Cox received an emergency appeal last Friday. Talking to The Journal Mrs Madison called Mr Cox her "knight in a white coat".

She said: "My cheeses take six months to ripen so I need to make my Christmas stocks now. Mike stepped into the breach. He was the one who sold me my cheese making vat four years ago when I started making cheese, so that is the second time he's saved the day!" Around 70kg of cheese will be made from the milk he has sent, and she said she would be ordering more.

Guernsey Dairy milk production has suffered because of wind and rain over the summer, a poor crop harvest and lower than hoped for autumn calving. Milk is also being supplied by Jersey.

A spokeswoman for Guernsey's Commerce and Employment Department, which is responsible for the Dairy, confirmed that it had imported a consignment of "pergols" or 13.6litre bags, of Alderney milk to maintain its supply to the catering sector. She said the Alderney milk had passed Guernsey lab tests and would now be forwarded on to Mrs Madison.

"The Guernsey Dairy has a close working relationship with the Alderney Dairy and we are pleased that they were able to assist by agreeing to supply us with a small volume of milk that was surplus to their requirements," she said.

"This milk will enable the Dairy to preserve a full and uninterrupted supply of 100 % local milk across all retail milk types and pack sizes during the current temporary period of low supply."

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