Raw Milk Is Illegal in Canada
Did you know that Canada is the only G8 Country with a complete prohibition on raw milk? I first learned this when I was visiting a local homestead that raised goats. We were thinking about getting some dairy goats. Our concern was that we weren't sure we would like the milk. We've only had store bought and found that stuff terrible. She assured us that goat milk from properly raised goats is wonderful but sadly she was AFRAID to let us taste it because of the laws. This article from the Financial Post got me fired up again on this topic.
The Government Knows Best Right?
Some people like to tell me that the government knows what they are doing and I should trust in them. They are doing it for our own safety. I say this often and I'll say it again: I don't need someone else to do my thinking for me. I am smart enough to make my own decisions. Many people are. The government should focus more on running the country because when it comes to food they are doing a piss poor job!
My question to those that agree with the raw milk ban: why raw milk? It's something that people have been safely consuming for centuries.
All foods have the potential to cause food borne illness, and do so often. Look at the food recall list. There has been over 22 food recalls in the past two months alone, for listeria, dangerous bacteria and salmonella. If you don't believe me check out this official food recall list from the Government of Canada.
The Canadian Food and Drugs Act states:
No person shall sell the normal lacteal secretion obtained from the mammary gland of the cow, genus Bos, or of any other animal, or sell a dairy product made with any such secretion, unless the secretion or dairy product has been pasteurized by being held at a temperature and for a period that ensure the reduction of the alkaline phosphatase activity so as to meet the tolerances specified in official method MFO-3, Determination of Phosphatase Activity in Dairy Products.
Raw Milk Globally
Elsewhere, raw milk is legal and people are not dropping like files. In fact, lactose intolerance and other issues are lower because pasteurization makes milk harder for people to digest. France, Germany, The United Kingdom and many U.S. states allow raw milk. They have programs that enable public health authorities to inspect and certify a dairy's output as safe for raw consumption. The National Farmers Union has suggested and offered to help work with the Government of Canada and the Dairy boards to implement such programs here.
The Loophole: Canadians Can Drink raw milk - They Just Can't Buy or Sell it
I can go across the border to the US buy RAW milk and bring it home. If you have a goat or a cow, your family can drink it. It's not illegal to drink raw milk. It's just illegal to sell or give it to others outside of your family. Here's the link to the Govt. of Canada Page.
The Beauty of RAW Milk
Did you know that raw milk at room temperature transforms into delicious, gut healthy, edible milk products? On the other hand, pasteurized & heavily filtered or processed milk does not have that same functionality. Nature knows what it's doing.
Photo credit: Organic Pastures- RAW DAIRY
Don't be fooled by the fear mongering, RAW milk is no more dangerous than any other food. When handled correctly it's perfectly safe. Do your research, look at how other countries are conducting themselves and remember:
source: Globe & Mail | Source: Healthy Home Economist | Source: NFU | Source: Canada Regulations{Source: Canadian Food Recalls](http://www.inspection.gc.ca/about-the-cfia/newsroom/food-recall-warnings/eng/1299076382077/1299076493846) | Source: Modern Farmer](https://modernfarmer.com/2017/05/raw-story-canadian-farmer-fights-raw-milk/)
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It might as well be illegal in the U.S. too, they've made it nearly impossible to buy or sell with regulations. It really makes me angry when I think about it.
I had no idea it was hard in the US (other than the states it's illegal in). That's so disappointing to read. I can drive over to Houlton in Maine and buy it and bring it back with me into Canada. They seem pretty cool about RAW milk there.
It's crazy, we have 20 states with some law making it illegal or just plain near impossible to buy raw milk. Here in VA it's prohibited but you can legally buy it through cow shares, but that is only on a case by case basis!
Can you drive to the next state where it's legal and buy it there? Or does the law have that covered?
I don't think they could stop you doing that since we don't have state taxes on it like alcohol and tobacco. Unfortunately all my surrounding states have prohibited it. (West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. I've looked into it, it's a political money thing. The laws were created to protect the large corporate distributors of milk. It wasn't really for anyone's safety although they like to pretend that's the reason.
That's too bad. :( We are always talking about getting a cow or goats but it's such a complex matter. The cost of feed, shelter and so forth.
We also have a "Dairy Cartel" in Canada. I've always suspected that this whole thing is all about profits. Back in the 60's farmers were forced to sell their milk to the "dairy board" ... and it's been tightly controlled ever since.
It's the same here in Australia. You can buy raw milk, but it's labeled as bath milk and 'Not fit for consumption'. Even that's hard to get hold of though. Unless you have your cow, you're stuck with pasteurized milk, pretty much.
Darn. Sorry to hear that.
You can have booze, but you can't have milk. Weird...
Agreed. It is weird.
Wow, and I thought we had it bad here. Raw milk laws vary state to state, but usually you can get around them by labeling your milk as 'pet food quality'. Lots of people buy raw milk that way.
You can give away milk to anyone you like.
How frustrating. One of the many regulations and laws that I think are totally unnecessary and just serves to restrict the freedoms of people who are trying to grow a healthy product.
I have milk goats, so I dont have to worry about my milk supply, but I feel for all the folks out there who want to consume healthy, raw milk, but cannot.
I think that is the crux of it for me. If my neighbour wants to share their milk with me, who is anyone to say that I can't have it? I'll be honest - if I had such a neighbour (sadly I DON"T) I would take the milk on a handshake regardless of what some dudes in a boardroom have decreed. I think a lot of people would.
Some laws are made to be broken.
Indeed! That is one I would definitely roll my eyes at and break with a vengeance!
Ugh!
The nerve, telling people what they can and can't give to someone...
Making it illegal to sell raw milk is only to protect the big dairy corporations. The government only wants to protect its pockets. It does not care about the farmer or the consumer.
That's pretty much how I feel too. If you ask them questions about it you'll just get cut and paste info from their website. Zero interest in engaging in intelligent conversation.
Intelligence and government are like oil and water. Don't mix worth a darn.
To be fair, drinking raw milk can be very dangerous. Raw milk from industrially raised cows, that is. As I understand it, healthy grass-fed cows have high levels of acidity in their stomachs which kill off pathogens (e-coli etc.) making their milk harmless; industrially raised cows, however, do not, making the risk of falling sick as a result of drinking their milk quite high. Obviously, the honest thing to do would be to tell the consumer that, and to ban raw milk from industrial producers only, but that would mean admitting to the evils of industrial agriculture and government just doesn't want to do that, so we must all suffer...
A lot of countries have developed systems that are working very well for them. I read some statistics that said a large number of dairy farmers drink raw milk themselves. (why wouldn't they!)
Another oddity is the fact that raw cheese is legal. They just advise people to have common sense about children and pregnant women consuming it ...
I just don't like being told what I can or cannot consume. Especially in this age of toxic "fake food". It all seems absurd.
Agreed! Although raw cheese does seem to be a little different: the fermentation process does render the milk -- good or bad, raw or not, artisanal or industrial -- a little more digestible than in it's liquid state.
I had heard that unpasteurised cheese was illegal in the US: is it not in Canada? Or am I mistaken?
It is true that the process in which cheese is made reduces a lot of the harmful bacteria but if the milk is contaminated, there is still risk with the cheese. I don't see many reports of people becoming ill from raw milk products so ... I still think this law stinks of lobbying or corruption.
Unpasturized cheese is sold in Canada. I know there are a lot of regulations for cheese makers but even imported unpasturized cheeses can be bought here. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/milk-infant-formula/raw-or-unpasteurized-milk.html