Canadian raw milk farmers are asking the federal government to make amendments to its restrictive laws and move towards legalization. .Raw milk is the drink unpasteurized. It's natural, unprocessed dairy — a form which was common prior to the 1800s. .The United States made progress with legalizing raw milk in recent months, with more states allowing it. The Missouri government has two bills in its docket permitting retail sales of it, and Georgia has a similar law taking effect this summer. .Canada remains one of a handful of countries in the world prohibiting raw milk sales. People caught selling it could face fines of up to $250,000 and up to three years in prison. .Despite it being illegal, some farmers sell raw milk for people who want to be more health conscious. Those farmers sell the product despite knowing how it could disrupt their livelihood. .A Rocky View County, AB, farmer said he became involved with the raw milk movement to provide it for his family. .“It’s delicious and extremely nutritious,” said the Rocky View farmer in an interview. .The farmer said raw milk contains nutrients which are taken away during the pasteurization process. He compared its taste to unsweetened ice cream. .He sells his milk through a herdshare program. The herdshare provides people with one gallon of milk for contributing a weekly maintenance fee. .The fee covers food and shelter for the cows, milking, and delivery. It costs $20 per week, and he has about 60 members. .Dairy pasteurization was a response to people moving into cities in the 1800s. To bring milk to cities, dairy farms were moved closer. .Cows were often kept in crowded, unsanitary conditions, without access to sunlight and grass to eat. This led to tuberculosis in cows and people who drank their milk. .Pasteurization was brought in for safety reasons. A small number of countries made it illegal to obtain unprocessed dairy, with Canada being one of them. .A Chilliwack, BC, farmer said she got into the raw milk movement to feed her family. .“I grew up on a farm drinking milk,” said the farmer. .“It gave me strong, healthy bones.” .She said she wanted her children to have a similar experience. When she bought pasteurized milk from the grocery store, she had problems digesting it. .The farmer called its taste “the best thing ever.” She said its taste is creamy and fresh. .She decided to set up a herdshare to address people’s interest. There is no shortage of people looking to join it. .The farmer said she believes raw milk is illegal because of supply management. She described the Canadian Dairy Commission (CDC) as a gang, where it does not want people stepping on its turf. .That turf was stepped on when Grey County, ON, farmer Michael Schmidt was prosecuted for selling raw milk in 2011. He was fined $9,150 and received one year of probation. .Schmidt went on a five-week hunger strike to protest the judgments against him. He ended up receiving a meeting with former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty, but no changes to the law were made. .He continues to be targeted to this day, with police and health inspectors surveilling his farm. A raid in 2021 appeared to have the entire West Grey Police Force involved. .Canadian Artisan Dairy Alliance National Director Eva Kralits founded the advocacy group with a few other people to take on prohibition. .“We are not farmers, so we do not have to worry about getting charged or raided or having our identity disclosed,” said Kralits. .“We feel we have the best chance of moving this forward.” .She used to drink raw milk growing up in Austria. She said her family consumes it for health reasons and because of its great taste. .Kralits said people have been conditioned to believe raw milk is dangerous. While other countries have legalized it, she said she is confused why it cannot happen in Canada. .The Rocky View farmer concluded by saying Canadians should be able to drink raw milk because they are “men and women born free.” .“We should be allowed to ingest anything that we feel is right for us and our families,” he said. .“And it should not be the say of government, dairy cartels, or other organizations to determine how we feed our families.” .Enderby, BC, farmer Michael Haak was ordered to dump milk to uphold dairy quotas per province imposed due to supply management in 2020. .READ MORE: Milk being thrown down the drain across the country, despite shortages.“With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we had to dispose of 12,000 litres of milk in the last few days, and I can just let you know it was really hard, really heartbreaking, for me,” said Haak. .About 60,000 litres of milk is dumped in British Columbia every day. .The CDC could not be reached for comment in time for publication.
