Baurus Bach, the executive chairman of the Wombie Dairy Company, describes himself as the ‘father of the wombat dairy industry’.
Mr Bach’s company is milking these wombats to create premium cheese products to market around the world.
Building the technology for the wombat dairy wasn’t easy.
«We had to devise a totally new milking machine with a sensitive telescopic suction cap to reach into the single teat in the lady wombat’s pouch.»
Inside the, ‘wombatary’, which also doubles as the dairy, the milking machine slowly travels from animal to animal.
«Well, you get them when they’re very sleepy. You turn them over, insert the milking machine and then you go ahead with it.»
Two cheeses are currently in production and they are named, ‘Wombrie’ and ‘Womblue’.
Mr Bach is still awaiting food standards approval for human consumption and says that it is just a matter of time.
Wombie Dairy Company will market the cheese as high end produce to export to the best restaurants in Europe, America and Japan.
Baurus Bach says the starting price is $3,226 a kilo.
The cheese will only be available on 1 April each year.
Source: ABC
Link: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-01/nrn-wombat-dairy/5358486