A HAMPSHIRE dairy farmer is selling raw milk directly to customers in a bid to combat undercutting from supermarkets.

The Stevens family now produce raw milk at Peakhouse Farm in Whitchurch so they can still supply natural produce without reducing quality.

Farmers across the county have come together this year to fight low prices at supermarkets, some of which pay less than the cost of production.

Jenny Stevens said: “Raw milk from our farm is in its most natural state as nature intended - nothing added nothing taken away and contains only 4 per cent fat.

“It is unrecognisable to that on supermarket shelves. The process it goes through from farmyard to shop shelf changes its chemical make-up completely, from something with some mainly good health benefits to something lacking in lots of the nutrients, and benefits it started out with.”

Mrs Stevens added that while they've received a certificate to sell raw milk it is not suitable for everyone and advise pregnant women and nursing mothers as well as very young or old people against it.

The Stevens hosted a small open afternoon at the farm near Whitchurch this month, promoting the new product and explaining how it's made.