Hay milk

Hay milk comes from cows, sheep or goats that eat grass and herbs on pastures and meadows in summer and mainly hay in winter. Fermented feed such as silage, wet hay or film-wrapped round bales is prohibited, as are genetically modified feeds.

Since 2016, cow's hay milk has been registered in the EU as a traditional speciality guaranteed, with sheep's and goat's hay milk following in 2019. The protection concerns the traditional production method, not a specific origin. Hay milk is considered particularly suitable for cheesemaking, as the absence of silage prevents faulty fermentation.