Grade A goat milk registration

Learn about the registration process for producing and selling Grade A goat milk in Ontario.

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Overview

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Inspection Programs Unit oversees the Raw Goat Milk Quality Program in Ontario.

If you are a new producer interested in producing goat milk, there are several steps you must follow to become a Grade A goat milk producer.

All regulatory requirements must be met before you can begin shipping milk.

Plan ahead

In the planning process, you should:

refer to Planning and building a goat milk house
consult independent dairy equipment specialists
consider driveway requirements by contacting your milk transporter or broker

Building permits and, in most cases, nutrient management strategies or plans will also be required for construction of milk houses or barns.

Secure your market

A potential goat milk producer must first secure a market for the milk to be produced.

As a new entrant, you should secure a written contract with a goat milk broker prior to investing in the business. Alternatively, you may secure a market through an independent agreement directly with a licensed dairy processor.

Milk may only be collected on the farm by certified bulk tank milk graders and may only be transported in vehicles that have been inspected and approved by OMAFRA. Raw goat milk can only be marketed to licensed dairy plants.

How to apply

Step 1: contact OMAFRA

Contact OMAFRA's Inspection Programs Unit at dairyfoodsafety@ontario.ca or call 1-877-424-1300 (toll free) to discuss your plans and receive more information.

Step 2: pre-approval with a Food Safety Inspector

After reviewing the information and confirming your plans to proceed, contact OMAFRA to arrange a meeting with a Food Safety Inspector to discuss your plans to start a goat milk production operation.

Your discussion with the Food Safety Inspector should happen well before you begin construction of your milk house or barn.

On-site visit

Pre-approval requires an on-site visit by the Food Safety Inspector.

The Food Safety Inspector will visit your proposed site and provide you with information to help ensure your new operation will be in compliance with the Milk Act and regulations.

This pre-approval step ensures that:

you (the producer) are aware of all regulatory requirements
any construction or renovation will meet Grade A standards

"Grade A" farms are facilities that:

comply with the requirements of Regulation 761 of the Milk Act
have passed a regulatory inspection

It is important that you work with the Food Safety Inspector well in advance of your proposed first day of shipping to avoid unnecessary and costly delays.

Step 3: final inspection

A final inspection of your goat milk production premises must be conducted before any milk is collected for sale.

You are required to give the Food Safety Inspector at least two weeks’ notice before your anticipated shipping date so they can schedule your final inspection.

The bulk tank must be empty at the time of your final inspection.

Milk shipments cannot begin until the Food Safety Inspector completes the final inspection. Approval to begin milk shipments is granted when your farm meets Grade A requirements.

Grade A requirements

Each item evaluated during the farm inspection must meet the standard described below before the farm can be considered Grade A.

Standard category	Standard #	Description of standard	Food safety or animal health and welfare standard	Risk ranking
External	1	Buildings are adequate, exterior in good repair, essentials in construction for dairy operations, can be kept clean.	Food safety	Low
External	2	Milk house surroundings are clean, tidy, free of contamination and presence of livestock, and properly drained	Food safety	Low
External	3	Tank truck loading area: Reasonably level, clean and tidy, free from obstacles, contamination, and livestock, and properly drained.	Food safety	Low
External	4	Hoseport is self-closing and closed, clean, in good repair, and located near outlet of bulk tank.	Food safety	Low
External	5	Hoseport pad is constructed of concrete pads or slabs, reasonably level, clean, clear of weeds, obstacles, and contamination	Food safety	BMP
External	6	Approved receptacle and cover located outside milk house, with on/off switch located inside.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	7	The size of the working area in the milk house must be adequate to meet Grade A standards.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	8	Ceiling, walls, doors, windows, floors and drains in a clean condition.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	9	The milk house is to be used exclusively for cooling and storing milk, and for cleaning, sanitizing and storing materials and equipment used in the production and handling of milk	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	10	Doors to be tight fitting and closed to prevent the entry of pests, contaminants and odours.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	11	All doors in the milk house to be equipped with functioning self closers.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	12	A viewing area with window that permits the bulk tank milk grader to observe the transfer pump compartment of the transport vehicle's tank from inside the milk house.	Food safety	BMP
Milk house	13	All openings to outside to be screened. Self closing and closed doors or non-opening windows need not be screened.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	14	Impervious floor to be washable, waterproof, free of indentations, cracks or crevices.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	15	Floors sloped to drains to ensure drainage of wastewater. All drains to be equipped with traps and sanitary cover.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	16	Walls must be made of hard, smooth, washable and waterproof material, free of indentations, cracks and crevices, painted or cleaned as necessary to remain clean.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	17	Ceilings must be made of hard, smooth, washable and waterproof material, free of indentations, cracks and crevices, painted or cleaned as necessary to remain clean.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	18	Area inside milk house to be clean. Walls and ceiling to be cleaned, painted or whitened a minimum of once per year, or as often as necessary to maintain a clean condition.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	19	Lighting is adequate for the carrying out of all milk house and inspection operations	Food safety	Low
Milk house	20	Light fixtures and bulbs equipped with shatterproof covers or coatings.	Food safety	BMP
Milk house	21	Ventilation and insulation is sufficient to keep the area free from condensation and odour at all times of year.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	22	Fly control is in place and sufficient to prevent contamination of milk, milking equipment and environment by excessive fly population.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	23	Free of animals, pests and flies, and evidence of animals, pests and flies.	Food safety	High
Milk house	24	Chemical containers must be properly stored in a location and manner that will not contaminate the milk. No pesticides or other toxic products, other than those that are directly related to the operation of the milk house, shall be stored in a milk house. Cleaners shall be stored according to manufacturer recommendations.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	25	Chemical containers must be properly labelled indicating contents to ensure safe and proper use.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	26	Only approved dairy cleaners and sanitizers to be used.	Food safety	High
Milk house	27	The hose and attached nozzle are readily available in milk house for rinsing tank and cleaning of milk house.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	28	Hose to be hung neatly to avoid contamination of hose and nozzle.	Food safety	BMP
Milk house	29	The milk house is equipped with a two-compartment sink. Stainless steel recommended, adequately sized for washing milking equipment and to allow for hand washing.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	30	There is a handwash station containing all necessary materials for washing and drying the hands.	Food safety	Medium
Milk house	31	When required for storing pails, buckets and other milking equipment shall be made of stainless steel or other impervious materials and maintained in a sanitary condition.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	32	The wash procedures chart is current, showing the procedures, amounts and types of chemicals being used to effectively clean the equipment. Chart to be updated by the dealer at least once per year.	Food safety	Low
Milk house	33	Adequate supply of hot water (recommended minimum 170 °F/ 77 °C) available for cleaning and sanitation.	Food safety	High
Milk house	34	Supply of water suitable for use in a milk house, under adequate pressure for cleaning and sanitation purposes.	Food safety	High
Milk house	35	Potable water supply to be tested for Coliforms and E. coli at least once per year.	Food safety	Medium
Utility Room	36	The utility room is clean and tidy, with ceiling, walls, doors, windows, floors and drains in clean condition.	Food safety	Low
Milk house waste	37	A washwater disposal system is in place that adequately ensures that milk house waste is disposed of in a manner that will not pollute the environment or become a source of contamination.	Food safety	Low
Milk house waste	38	The type of washwater disposal system must be acceptable and approved by the director.	Food safety	Low
Cooling equipment	39	Current milk temperature to be maintained between 0° and 4 °C.	Food safety	Significant high
Cooling equipment	40	The bulk milk tank is constructed of stainless steel, sound, good condition, free of rough spots, cracks, open seams, etc.	Food safety	High
Cooling equipment	41	The bulk tank must be sized to properly agitate the first milking without freezing.	Food safety	Critical
Cooling equipment	42	The bulk tank must cool and maintain milk between 0° - 4 °C within 2 hours after first milking, and within 1 hour after subsequent milking. Blend temperature not to exceed 10 °C.	Food safety	High
Cooling equipment	43	The thermometer is accurate to within 1oC.	Food safety	Medium
Cooling equipment	44	The interval agitation timer must agitate milk at least 5 minutes per hour.	Food safety	High
Cooling equipment	45	The bulk tank outlet valve must not leak. Cap to be installed on outlet as protection from external contamination	Food safety	Medium
Cooling equipment	46	Bulk tank components, including gaskets, caps, covers, and boots, are clean, in good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	Medium
Cooling equipment	47	When necessary for proper sampling, producer to provide approved clean long handled dipper and sanitizing solution for use by the Bulk Tank Milk Grader.	Food safety	Low
Cooling equipment	48	Exterior surfaces to be maintained in a clean condition.	Food safety	Low
Cooling equipment	49	Bulk tank to be cleaned after each shipment and sanitized before use.	Food safety	Significant high
Cooling equipment	50	Radiator to be clean, free of dust and dirt.	Food safety	Low
Cooling equipment	51	Milk to be clean, free of objectionable odours and foreign substances, including ice and butterballs.	Food safety	Significant high
Cooling equipment	52	Chart to be fully legible and complete, with serial number matching the serial number on the tank and dipstick.	Food safety	Low
Milking procedure	53	All milking equipment rinsed and washed immediately after use, and sanitized before use, with approved chemicals.	Food safety	Significant high
Milking procedure	54	Teats cleaned and sanitized prior to milking using approved products bearing a Drug Identification Number (DIN). Teats to be dry before being milked.	Food safety	Medium
Milking procedure	55	Dispose of paper towels after single use. Use only one cloth towel per animal during udder preparation. Cloth towels must be laundered before reuse.	Food safety	BMP
Milking procedure	56	An approved (bearing a Drug Identification Number (DIN)) post-milking dip to be used after each milking.	Food safety	BMP
Milking procedure	57	Teat dip container cleaned as often as necessary to avoid contamination.	Food safety	BMP
Milking equipment	58	Inflations are clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	59	Jetter cups are clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	60	Claws are clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Maintained according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	61	Meters and flow sensors are clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Maintained according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	62	Other equipment is clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	63	Interior of milk hoses is clean, in good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	64	Exterior of milk hoses is clean, in good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	Low
Milking equipment	65	Buckets and lids are clean, sound, good condition. Stainless steel or other approved materials, free of rough spots, cracks, open seams, etc.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	66	Milk pails are clean, sound, good condition. Stainless steel or other approved materials, free of rough spots, cracks, open seams, etc.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	67	Buckets, lids, pails and related equipment to be cleaned, drained dry and properly stored on impervious racks or hooks in the milk house.	Food safety	Medium
Milking equipment	68	Pipeline exterior to be clean, welds and joints sanitary, piping of sound construction.	Food safety	Low
Milking equipment	69	Pipeline interior to be clean, welds and joints sanitary, piping of sound construction.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	70	Milk inlets shall be located in the top half of the pipeline, minimizing vacuum fluctuations and allowing unrestricted milk flow to the receiver jar.	Food safety	Low
Milking equipment	71	Inlets must be kept clean to avoid contamination of pipeline contents.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	72	The pipeline slope should be sufficient for proper drainage to receiver jar. Minimum 1% slope recommended (1 inch rise for every 100 inches in length).	Food safety	Medium
Milking equipment	73	There are sufficient attachment points to maintain continuous slope and to prevent excess movement during milking and cleaning operations.	Food safety	Medium
Milking equipment	74	Gaskets are clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc. Replaced according to manufacturer's specifications.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	75	Hoses, lines, regulators, screens, air injectors and pulsators to be clean and free from offensive odours.	Food safety	Medium
Milking equipment	76	The pipeline safety switch is operational, preventing the addition of water or cleaning chemicals to the bulk tank, and milk loss to the drain.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	77	Receiver jar, probes, and plugs are clean, sanitary design, probes and plugs not worn or inking.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	78	The sanitary trap is clean, functional, free of offensive odours.	Food safety	Medium
Milking equipment	79	Milk must be filtered by means of a single-service filter or a stainless-steel mesh-type filter.	Food safety	High
Milking equipment	80	Air blow device must be clean and of sanitary design, made from stainless steel or other non-reactive materials. Filter must be clean and changed with sufficient frequency to remain clean. Rubber or silicone components must be clean, good condition, free of rough spots, blisters, inking, etc.	Food safety	Medium
Milking area	81	Parlour walls are of sound construction, materials are easily cleaned and do not contaminate milk.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	82	Ramps are clean, constructed of concrete or other impervious material.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	83	Parlour floors are clean, constructed of concrete or other impervious material, sloped to drain.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	84	Stands are clean, constructed of concrete or other impervious material.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	85	Milking area to have a trapped drain capable of keeping the area free of any liquids.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	86	The parlour ceiling is of sound construction, materials are easily cleaned and do not contaminate milk.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	87	Lighting is adequate to view udders during milking, perform milking operations, cleaning procedures and inspections.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	88	Ventilation is controlled to eliminate condensation and odours that may affect the organoleptic qualities of milk.	Food safety	Medium
Milking area	89	Area must be properly insulated and heated to prevent freezing.	Food safety	Low
Milking area	90	Parlour fly control is in place and sufficient to prevent contamination of milk and milking equipment by excessive fly population.	Food safety	Medium
Milking area	91	No pet or livestock access between milkings, to prevent contamination of milking equipment and milking area.	Food safety	Medium
Milking area	92	Milking area to be clean. Walls and ceiling to be cleaned, painted, or whitened a minimum of once per year, or as often as necessary to maintain a clean condition.	Food safety	Medium
Livestock medicine	93	Temporary records of all treatments administered to dairy animals are kept to notify and remind milking personnel to keep milk from treated animals out of the bulk tank.	Food safety	High
Livestock medicine	94	A permanent record of all treatments administered to dairy animals is recommended.	Food safety	BMP
Livestock medicine	95	Treated goats are identified in some manner such as leg bands or coloured marker, to prevent contaminated milk from entering the bulk tank.	Food safety	Significant high
Livestock medicine	96	Handle milk from treated goats separately to avoid any possible contamination of bulk tank. (for example, Milk treated does last with a separate bucket and claw, or, if milking with a pipeline, milk treated does last after pipeline is removed from the bulk tank.)	Food safety	Significant high
Livestock medicine	97	Newly purchased lactating animals should test negative for antibiotics prior to being placed in the milking herd.	Food safety	High
Livestock medicine	98	Veterinary medicines are stored in a closed cabinet or refrigerator in a manner that prevents contamination of milk. Dispose of expired medicines promptly and properly.	Food safety	BMP
Livestock medicine	99	Livestock medicines must not be used beyond the expiry date listed on the label. Expired medicines must be stored separately and disposed of according to manufacturers recommendations.	Food safety	BMP
Livestock medicine	100	When withdrawal times are unknown, milk from treated goats should be tested and inhibitor-free prior to adding to tank. Always follow veterinarian prescriptions for extra label use.	Food safety	High
Livestock medicine	101	Producers should have access to (e.g., own, veterinarian) an approved rapid test kit for detecting inhibitors in goat milk. The director approved rapid tests for inhibitors in goat milk are: CHARM MRL BL/TET2 test and CHARM Sulfa test at MRL.	Food safety	Medium
Animal health and welfare	102	Goat housing walls are sound, solid construction, and maintained in good repair.	Animal health and welfare	Medium
Animal health and welfare	103	Sound, solid construction, maintained in good repair.	Animal health and welfare	Low
Goat housing	104	Area to be clean. Walls and ceiling to be cleaned, painted or whitened a minimum of once per year, or as often as necessary to maintain a clean condition.	Food safety	Low
Goat housing	105	Sufficient bedding to keep animals clean and dry and to minimize odour.	Food safety	Medium
Animal health and welfare	106	Pen space is sufficient to allow animals normal movement and free space to rest without crowding.	Animal health and welfare	BMP
Animal health and welfare	107	Mangers are smooth surfaced, easily cleaned, clean, absence of stale feed or other debris likely to affect milk quality.	Animal health and welfare	Medium
Animal health and welfare	108	Adequate light, properly distributed, and sufficient artificial light.	Animal health and welfare	Low
Animal health and welfare	109	Ventilation is controlled to prevent the accumulation of odours and humidity.	Animal health and welfare	Medium
Goat housing	110	No fowl or swine, rabbits or other non-permitted species to be housed with goats.	Food safety	High
Goat housing	111	Housing fly control is in place to minimize fly population.	Food safety	Low
Goat housing	112	Manure to be removed regularly to prevent odours, run off and pest breeding grounds.	Food safety	Medium
Animal health and welfare	113	Adequate supply of potable water in clean containers.	Animal health and welfare	BMP
Animal condition	114	Does are free from manure, dust, dirt and loose hair. Clipped when necessary.	Food safety	High
Animal health and welfare	115	Animals must be in good condition.	Animal health and welfare	Critical
Animal health and welfare	116	Hooves to be kept trimmed.	Animal health and welfare	Critical
Animal health and welfare	117	Horns that are touching hair or skin must be trimmed.	Animal health and welfare	Critical
Exercise yard or pasture	118	The exercise yard or pasture is surfaced so as to maintain a hard underfooting at all seasons of the year, free from water, mud and holes.	Food safety	Low
Exercise yard or pasture	119	The exercise yard or pasture is free of manure build up to minimize impacts on milk quality and animal health.	Food safety	Medium
Manure storage	120	Manure is stored away from milk house and milking area in order to minimize the impact on milk quality via traffic, odours and flies.	Food safety	Medium
Manure storage	121	Away from milk house and milking area in order to minimize the impact on milk quality via traffic, odours and flies.	Food safety	Medium
Manure storage	122	Manure storage is designed and sized to properly store manure accumulations and prevent run-off.	Food safety	Medium
Dairy goat farm inspection	123	Fly control products used and stored according to label recommendations. Baits used only in proper dispensers. Spray use limited to avoid contamination of milk.	Food safety	High

Risk ranking of inspection items

Each inspection item has been evaluated for food safety risk, food safety impact and regulatory impact and classified under one of five broad categories of risk:

low
medium
high
significant high
critical

Risk ranking acts as a guide for the Food Safety Inspector when assigning a grade to the completed inspection and determining compliance actions required.

Best Management Practice (BMP) inspection items are not used to determine the final grade assigned to the inspection but are provided to support the producer.

Risk ranking and number of inspection items	Impact/severity
Low (35)	Impact to food safety not likely to cause adverse health effects; very low impact on animal welfare or regulatory compliance.
Medium (39)	Minor impact to food safety that could lead to food that may or may not adversely affect human health; low impact to animal welfare or regulatory compliance.
High (29)	Moderate impact to food safety that is likely to lead to food that is not safe or wholesome to at risk populations (young, elderly); moderate impact on animal welfare or regulatory compliance.
Significant high (4)	Major impact to food safety that is likely to lead to food that is not safe or wholesome to the public; significant impacts to animal welfare or regulatory compliance.
Critical (4)	Severe impact to food safety and likely to cause significant human health impacts; a direct contravention of the regulations, or severe animal health and welfare repercussions if not corrected immediately.
Best Management Practice — BMP (12)	BMP criterion are inspection items which have a basis in food safety or animal health but have no direct regulatory link. These items are industry driven standards and are not used in determining the final grade assigned to the inspection.

Environmental regulations

To ensure compliance with environmental legislation, remember that:

all milking centre washwater must be disposed of in a manner that does not pollute the environment as per O. Reg. 267/03 under the Nutrient Management Act (NMA)
all below-ground disposal systems for milking centre washwater must be issued a building permit by the municipality before installation, extension or alteration

These regulations and others, such as the Building Code and Electrical Safety Code, need to be considered when you are planning to build or renovate any farm structure.

Failure to meet environmental recommendations can result in:

the removal of your Grade A rating, if the failure causes excessive odours or contamination of the area around the milk house caused by milking centre waste
charges by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks under the Environmental Protection Act or the NMA if pollution of the environment does occur

A certificate of environmental compliance approval for systems handling milking centre washwater does not prevent charges from being laid.

Resources

These resources are beneficial to review when preparing your dairy goat operation or if you have questions about producing Grade A goat milk in Ontario:

Contact us

Speak with a Food Safety Inspector

OMAFRA Food Safety Inspectors provide guidance to existing and prospective dairy goat producers. They can help you understand the Grade A goat milk requirements you need to follow.

To speak with a Food Safety Inspector, contact the Inspection Programs Unit at dairyfoodsafety@ontario.ca or call 1-877-424-1300 (toll free).

Report non-compliance

Learn how to report alleged food safety violations and other illegal activities to OMAFRA.

Updated: March 01, 2024

Published: November 04, 2022