Alberta Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

Alberta is where Canadian raw milk reform has the most political momentum. The legal position is the same as everywhere else in the country, but the province combines a large and openly acknowledged informal market with the only organized political push that has reached a formal vote.

The law in Alberta

The Dairy Industry Act and the Dairy Industry Regulation (Alta. Reg. 139/1999) govern licensing, production standards, processing and transport, and prohibit unlicensed production or processing of dairy products and the sale of raw milk. Enforcement runs through the provincial agriculture ministry's inspection and investigation function, with charges carrying fines up to $25,000 each. Alberta Health Services adds a parallel public health route, issuing closure orders halting the distribution, transport, processing or sale of unpasteurized dairy. A prosecution of an Innisfail-area farmer illustrated the combination, bringing charges for unlicensed processing, selling raw milk, and obstructing an inspector.

The reform push

At the Rural Municipalities of Alberta Fall 2025 convention, Reeve Ryan Ratzlaff of the MD of Greenview presented Resolution 4-25F, which carried with roughly two thirds support. It asks the RMA to advocate that Ottawa amend Division 8 of the Food and Drug Regulations to permit conditional on-farm sale of unpasteurized dairy direct to informed consumers, with provincial frameworks covering producer training, labelling, traceability, on-farm oversight and optional rural pilot programs. Greenview's case rested partly on the observation that many residents already consume raw milk regardless of the law. The federal government declined, restating that existing restrictions are necessary, and the RMA lists the resolution's status as Intent Not Met.

Alberta also dominated House of Commons petition e-5275, which ran from December 2024 to April 2025 and closed with 524 validated signatures, 289 of them from Alberta. The Canadian Artisan Dairy Alliance has been notably active in the province, including in mainstream media coverage of the herdshare market operating outside regulatory oversight.

Availability

No legal source of raw drinking milk exists in Alberta, and supply moves through private membership associations and direct farmer arrangements that remain exposed to both agricultural and public health enforcement. Aged raw milk cheese is legal under the federal 60 day rule. For the national picture, see the Canada raw milk laws overview.