RESULTS from new research revealed today claim organic milk has more health benefits than the conventional type.

The Soil Association's annual conference in Newcastle is to hear today that organic milk has more vitamins and antioxidants than non-organic.

The conference is being held in conjunction with Newcastle University's Quality Low Impact Food Congress.

Organically-reared cows eat high levels of fresh grass, clover pasture and grass clover silage. The study found they produced milk on average 50pc higher in vitamin E; 75pc higher in beta carotene (which our bodies convert to vitamin A), and two to three times higher in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthine, important to a healthy diet, than non-organic milk.

The study confirmed higher antioxidant levels reported by an Italian Research Council study.

It also confirmed higher levels of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, found during two earlier research projects by Aberdeen University and the Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research.

The results were presented by Jacob Holm, a senior biochemist at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences.

Drinking a pint of organic milk a day provides 17.5pc of the required intake of vitamin E for women and 14pc of that for men, and as much beta carotene as a portion of some vegetables such as brussels sprouts.

The enhanced nutritional benefits of organic milk are due to the more natural diets of organic cows, which are derived from strict legal standards, subject to independent certification, and laid down in European law.

Stocking rates are lower, giving organic cows access to more fresh pasture.

Prof Carlo Leifert, QLIF project leader at Newcastle, said further evidence was needed to convince the scientific community as a whole.

"The EU Quality Low Input Food project is very much focused on confirming and explaining the differences in milk composition shown in these studies," he said. "However, the evidence already available convinces me to pay a little extra for organic milk."

Patrick Holden, director of the Soil Association, said the new research added to the growing body of evidence proving the health benefits of organic food. "A number of pioneering schools are serving organic milk, and there is now a strong case for the Government to ensure that such initiatives are extended across the country," he said.

Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and protects against damage caused by ageing. Beta carotene may help reduce the risk of developing cancer, although a major study found it must be obtained from food as it has no benefit in supplement form.

Lutein and zeaxanthine belong to the vitamin A family, also found in dark leafy green vegetables and eggs. They are thought to help reduce the chance of getting cataracts, help prevent deteriorating eyesight through ageing, and help prevent the blocking of blood vessels.