Selling or distributing raw milk is illegal in Canada and has been since 1991. Under the federal Food and Drugs Act, all milk sold in Canada must be pasteurized. However, the law draws a clear line: selling and distributing unpasteurized milk is prohibited, but personally consuming it is not. If you own a cow and drink its milk yourself, you’re not breaking any law. The moment you sell or give that milk to someone else, you are.
What the Federal Law Actually Says
Canada’s Food and Drug Regulations have required pasteurization of all milk products intended for sale since 1991. This is a federal rule, meaning it applies uniformly across every province and territory. The prohibition covers selling, distributing, and marketing unpasteurized milk and milk products. It does not cover personal consumption on your own farm.
As of late 2025, the federal government has shown no interest in changing this. In a formal response to a resolution from Rural Municipalities of Alberta requesting regulated on-farm sales of raw milk, the Government of Canada stated that “the current regulations that prohibit the sale of raw milk are necessary to protect the Canadian population.” The ban remains firmly in place.
Provincial Enforcement Adds Another Layer
Provinces enforce their own food safety laws on top of the federal prohibition, and these can be even more specific. Ontario is a good example. The province’s Health Protection and Promotion Act gives medical officers of health broad investigative and enforcement powers to prevent the distribution of raw milk. The Ontario Milk Act separately requires that anyone operating a facility where milk products are processed must hold a license, and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and Rural Affairs handles enforcement.
There is one notable exception at the provincial level. In Ontario, cheese made from unpasteurized milk can be sold legally, but only if it has been stored below 2°C for at least 60 days after manufacturing. This aging requirement is designed to reduce pathogen levels to a safe point. You’ll find these aged raw milk cheeses in specialty shops and grocery stores across the country.
The Cow-Share Workaround and Why It Failed
Because drinking raw milk on your own farm is legal, some Canadians have tried to access it through “cow-share” or “cow-leasing” arrangements. The idea is simple: you buy a share in a cow, and since you’re technically a part-owner, the milk you receive is for personal consumption rather than a commercial sale.
The most prominent test of this approach involved Ontario dairy farmer Michael Schmidt, who operated a cow-share program on his farm. In 2006, government agents raided his property and charged him with 19 offences related to selling and distributing unpasteurized milk. Schmidt was initially acquitted of all charges at trial in January 2010, but the conviction was later upheld on appeal. The Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously ruled that cow-share members do not have a constitutionally protected right to acquire raw milk to promote their own health.
Schmidt argued three points: that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right to choose health-promoting practices that harm no one, that the laws were never intended to prohibit cow-share programs, and that his liberty was violated by being punished for entering into mutually agreeable contracts. The Court rejected all three arguments. This ruling effectively closed the door on cow-sharing as a legal path to raw milk distribution in Ontario, and its reasoning carries weight across other provinces.
Why Canada Maintains the Ban
The federal prohibition is rooted in foodborne illness data. Between 2005 and 2013, 263 confirmed cases of enteric and zoonotic illnesses in Canada were directly attributed to consuming raw milk products. In Ontario alone, 92 cases of illness linked to raw milk and raw milk cheese were recorded in just a three-year window from 2005 to 2007.
The particular concern is a type of E. coli (O157:H7) that produces Shiga toxin. In children, this bacterium can trigger hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition involving severe anemia, kidney failure, seizures, and a real risk of death. The Public Health Agency of Canada has documented pediatric cases of this syndrome tied specifically to raw milk consumption.
The long-term trend supports pasteurization’s effectiveness. Between 1975 and 1982, there were 45 milk-linked foodborne illness outbreaks in Canada. After decades of mandatory pasteurization and improved enforcement, that number dropped to just 7 outbreaks between 1998 and 2021.
What You Can and Can’t Do
The practical breakdown is straightforward. If you own a dairy animal, you can legally drink its unpasteurized milk yourself. You cannot sell, distribute, or give that milk to others. You cannot set up a cow-share arrangement and distribute the milk to shareholders, despite the fact that this approach has been tried repeatedly. Aged raw milk cheese (stored at the proper temperature for at least 60 days) is the one raw dairy product you can legally buy.
Penalties for violating the ban vary by province but can include fines, loss of any dairy processing license, and criminal charges. The Schmidt case demonstrated that courts are willing to uphold convictions even when the seller has sympathetic motivations and willing buyers. For anyone looking to access raw milk in Canada, the legal reality is that there is currently no lawful way to purchase it.