Virginia Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

Virginia law does not address herdshare agreements; they operate as private ownership arrangements outside the state's ban on selling unpasteurized milk for human consumption (2VAC5-490-75). Under a herdshare, a consumer purchases a fractional ownership interest in a dairy animal, pays a boarding fee to the farm for the animal's care, and receives raw milk as a benefit of ownership — rather than as a commercial purchase. The herdshare holder receives raw milk at the farm; off-farm delivery is not explicitly authorized. Virginia regulation 2VAC5-490-75 prohibits selling unpasteurized milk for human consumption, and herdshares are structured specifically to fall outside that prohibition.

Virginia's herdshare framework serves a significant consumer market across the Northern Virginia corridor, the Shenandoah Valley, and the Richmond metropolitan area. The state's combination of proximity to Washington D.C. (where raw milk is prohibited) and Maryland (where it is also banned) has driven strong consumer demand for Virginia herdshares. Some Virginia farms operate multiple shares with long waiting lists. Herdshares have operated in Virginia for many years without a statutory framework. Consumers seeking raw milk in Virginia typically search for herdshare farms within driving distance.