New Zealand decriminalizes raw milk cheese

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It is one of the most sought after cheeses in the world but gourmets have not been able to get their hands on it at any price. But foodies are now celebrating the lifting of the ban on Roquefort after the Food Safety Authority gave imports of the mouldy, smelly cheese the green light.

"It's absolutely fantastic...French people coming in and crying at the counter at the sight of the cheese, restaurateurs who are so excited because they are able to put it their menu," says cheese importer Sheckter.

The cheese is made from unpasteurised sheep milk and aged in caves in the small village in the south of France. The problem is that because it is made with raw milk it can harbour potentially deadly listeria.

"The trouble with listeria is its very high impact so you could die you could get septicemia and die...with pregnancy you can loose the babies it's really not nice," says New Zealand Food Safety Authority spokesperson Mckenzie.

The Food Safety Authority says its time New Zealanders had the choice, and it has produced pamphlets warning pregnant women, the very old and very young of the dangers.

"Hopefully by the time we've completed that work we'll be able to manufacture the products ourselves in New Zealand," says McKenzie.

A prospect welcomed by the local cheese industry.

"At the moment there's discussion with New Zealand food safety about developing a code to make raw milk cheeses in New Zealand and a number of our members are very keen," says NZ Specialist Cheeses Association spokesperson Diane Kenderdine.

Even at a $100 a kilo its selling out as fast as it arrives. [ New Zealand dollars / a kilogram is 2.2 pounds ]

"It's just extraordinary, it's beautiful, it's sweet, it's dirty, it's complex, it's kind of musty and dusty yeah no I'll be going back in there a few times I think on that," says Bosley's chef Bosley.