Has bird flu been found in Canadian raw milk?

No. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has tested thousands of raw milk samples collected at processing plants across the country, and every sample has tested negative for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). As of early 2026, there have been no confirmed detections of HPAI in cattle in Canada.

Is it legal to sell raw milk in Canada?

No, raw milk sales for human consumption are not legal in Canada. All milk starts out raw, however, so the CFIA tests raw milk at processing plants before pasteurization as part of its HPAI surveillance program.

How many raw milk samples has Canada tested for bird flu?

As of January 2025, the CFIA had tested 1,944 raw milk samples from processing plants across Canada, all negative. By March 2026, that number had grown to 8,757 samples drawn from roughly 2,700 dairy farms nationwide, with all samples still testing negative.

Canadian inspectors tested 1,944 raw milk samples across the country and all results came back negative.

Canadian Bird Flu Testing Shows Zero Cases

Q: Can cats get sick from drinking raw milk contaminated with bird flu?

Yes. A CDC investigation into the first Texas dairy farm to detect HPAI found that roughly half of the farm's cats died after drinking raw colostrum and milk from infected cows. This remains the clearest documented case of HPAI transmission to a mammal via raw milk.

February 5, 2025 · 2 min read

Raw milk sales are not legal in Canada, but all milk starts out raw, so the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has been testing raw milk at processing plants before pasteurization as part of its surveillance for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Bird Flu in Cows, Cats, and Humans

The “highly pathogenic” designation in HPAI applies to birds. In dairy cattle, symptoms tend to be mild and resolve within about a week, though infected cows are quarantined until they test negative.

Industrial dairy operations have been the primary setting for HPAI detections in agriculture. No case of a person contracting HPAI from drinking raw milk has been confirmed. Documented human cases have involved farm workers with direct animal contact, with symptoms limited to conjunctivitis that resolved quickly, and no human-to-human transmission has been reported.

Cats are a different story. A CDC investigation into the first Texas dairy farm to detect HPAI found that roughly half of the farm’s cats died after drinking raw colostrum and milk from infected cows. This remains the clearest documented case of HPAI transmission to a mammal via raw milk, a real risk, though distinct from the human-transmission question that drives most raw milk policy debates.

The broader concern among public health officials is the possibility that HPAI could mutate into a form that spreads more readily among mammals, including humans. As of this writing, that remains hypothetical.

Canadian Testing Results

As of January 31, 2025, the CFIA had tested 1,944 raw (unpasteurized) milk samples collected at processing plants across Canada, with every sample returning negative for HPAI:

Area	Samples tested	HPAI detections
Atlantic provinces	155	All negative
Ontario	508	All negative
Quebec	672	All negative
Western provinces	609	All negative

Full results are available on the CFIA’s milk sampling and testing page.

Where Things Stand Now

The CFIA’s testing program has continued and expanded substantially since this initial round. By March 2026, CFIA laboratories had tested 8,757 raw milk samples from trucks arriving at processing plants across all Canadian provinces, drawn from roughly 2,700 dairy farms, with all samples testing negative. As of this writing, there have been no confirmed detections of HPAI in cattle in Canada.