The history of artisanal cheese in Australia is still in its infancy but it has already become indelibly linked to one pioneering turophile, Will Studd. And his influence on the local industry was never more obvious than in his battle for Roquefort in 2005.
SEE ALSO: Why Stilton is no longer made with raw milk →
A humble cheesemonger in London
Will’s love story with cheese has humble beginnings in a food shop in London called Justin de Blank in the 1970’s. During his stint there, he learnt about the subtle flavours of freshly cut Gruyère and the layered aroma of Camembert de Normandie.
Will would go on to own 7 delis peppered around the West End of London.
In the 1980’s, Will sold his businesses and migrated to Australia with his wife and young family. Australia would provide a blank canvas for him to ply his trade and share his passion for raw milk cheese. And there were few cheeses that ignited his passion more than Roquefort.
Roquefort: A raw milk sheep’s cheese from Aveyron
Roquefort is a traditional French blue cheese made in the Aveyron department. Undoubtedly, it is one of the world’s best-known cheeses and dates back to at least the 15th century. It bears an AOP stamp which protects its origin and production.
The AOP dictates that this blue cheese can only be made in the Aveyron department. Furthermore, the wheels have to be matured in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. Also, the cheesemakers have to exclusively use the unskimmed raw milk of Lacaune ewes.
You can read more about the importance of raw milk cheese here.
1994: The ban on all raw milk cheese
Until 1994, the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) allowed the importation of raw milk cheeses. The only pre-requisite was that they were a minimum of 120 days old.
However, in 1994, AQIS passed a major change in their food standards which allowed only pasteurised milk to be used in cheesemaking.
Pioneered by Louis Pasteur, pasteurisation involves heating milk to around 70°C or 160°F for around 15 seconds. Pasteurisation of milk removes all bacteria, the harmful and the good. While this process makes milk safer to drink, it does lead to a loss of identity.
As a result of this ban, European classics such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Gruyère and Roquefort could not be imported to Australia anymore. As you can imagine, this was not a very popular decision.
1998: Exemptions for Parmigiano Reggiano & Gruyère
Due to the subsequent barrage of diplomatic protest, a special exemption was granted for Swiss raw milk cheeses. As a result, in 1998, Australians could import and sell Gruyère, Emmentaler and Sbrinz. Soon after, they extended this exemption to include the Italian raw milk cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano.
Overall, those exemptions allowed the importation and sale of Swiss pressed cooked cheeses and other “very hard” cooked cheeses. The importer would have to provide proof that the cheese curds had been heated to a minimum of 47°C/118°F. Or that the cheese exhibited an “equivalent level of bacteria reduction.”
While the exemption satisfied the Italians and Swiss, the ban on Roquefort persisted. The reason for this was because Roquefort isn’t a cooked cheese and has a high moisture content.
2002: Will Studd imports 80kg of Roquefort
Due to the wording of the regulations, Will Studd saw an opportunity to challenge the ban on Roquefort. Could it be that this historical blue cheese is made in such a way that produces an “equivalent level of bacterial reduction”?
In February 2002, Will Studd imported a special consignment of 80 kilograms of pre-tested Roquefort into Melbourne. Unsurprisingly, his shipment was stopped at the border by import police. And they ordered its destruction by deep burial because it did not meet FSANZ’s standards for raw milk cheese.
Furthermore, Will Studd’s request to test the cheese for bacterial levels at his own expense was also turned down.
Will Studd: Cheese Terrorist
Despite the food safety body’s stance, Will Studd wasn’t ready to give up on his beloved Roquefort. The legal battle would rage on for more than a year during which time the shipment of cheese was stored in a government warehouse.
The local authorities even threatened Will with a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison.
To Will’s surprise, the National Dairy Authority and the chairman of the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers Association also publicly condemned his actions.
They claimed that Will was undermining the reputation of the local specialist cheese industry and branded him a “cheese terrorist”.
2003: Roquefort, La Marseillaise & a public burial
From 2002 to 2003, the Roquefort waited patiently in storage while the legal battle raged on. In April 2003, Will Studd’s appeal was finally heard at the Administrative Appeals Tribunal in Melbourne. Six months later, they delivered the verdict.
Will had lost his case and they would not test the cheese. Their decision was final and stated that Roquefort violated the FSANZ (Food Standards Australia New Zealand) standards.
As a result, they demanded that Will Studd either re-export or destroy the Roquefort by deep burial. So, he orchestrated a “faux funeral” and ceremoniously carried the 80kg of cheese to a landfill.
For added effect, he did this in the back of a black hearse draped in the French national flag. At the landfill, they unloaded the shipment into a dumpster to the sounds of “La Marseillaise”, France’s national anthem.
2005: The ban on Roquefort is repealed
In March 2005, following an 18-month review, FSANZ finally published a lengthy report repealing the ban against Roquefort. Finally, they had given in to pressure from lobbyists like Will Studd, the French government and the Australian cheese loving public.
Undoubtedly, the Australian government’s prohibition had established a dangerous trade precedent that could be repeated in much larger markets such as the United States.
2009-2020: Major changes in raw milk cheese regulations
While the battle for Roquefort was raging on, Will Studd also lodged an application with FSANZ to review the standards for the production and sale of raw milk cheese.
As a result, the regulating body announced some minor changes in regulations that would allow the production of pressed cooked cheeses in Australia. To meet those requirements, the cheesemaker would have to follow strict production and maturation standards.
Bruny Island Cheese Company
In 2009, those changes enabled visionary cheesemaker Nick Haddow to craft Australia’s first raw milk cheese, Bruny Island Cheese Company’s Raw Milk C2. Nick and head cheesemaker Luke Jackson, started making C2 using the raw milk of their own cows.
Pecora Dairy & Prom Country Cheese
10 years later, further changes to the restrictions were implemented that allowed the production and sale of uncooked raw milk cheeses. And in 2019, New South Wales’s Pecora Dairy launched Yarrawa, a raw milk pressed uncooked cheese make with their own sheep’s milk.
In 2020, Victoria’s Prom Country Cheese followed in their footsteps with their Moyarra Reserve.
Will Studd: A cheese legacy
It is undeniable that the Australian artisanal cheese industry owes a lot to Will Studd. From his battles for raw milk cheese to his cheese education projects (be sure to check out Cheese Slices), he has left an indelible mark.
Thank you for reading this Cheese Story. Would you like to see more posts like this one? Let me know in the comments below.
Jonah is a a hipster, eco-warrior and slow food afficionado. Coming from a scientific background, Jonah has a particular interest in cheese science. And yes, he loves a good cheese pun!
