Dairy plant licence
Learn who needs a licence, the exemptions, how to apply and find a list of licensed plants in Ontario.
Overview
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) licenses Ontario dairy plants under:
You need a dairy plant licence if you:
- process raw cow or goat milk
- process pasteurized cow or goat milk into milk products that you sell for resale (wholesale distribute)
- transform a finished cow and/or goat milk product into another milk product which you sell for resale (wholesale distribute), such as repackaging a bulk product into smaller-sized units
Dairy plant licensing is not based on the size of processing plant, volume of milk or milk products processed, or amount of finished product made.
Exemptions
A provincial licence is not required for businesses that:
- use pasteurized milk and milk ingredients to process products that are not milk products
- only use pasteurized milk and milk ingredients to process milk products, and only sell those products directly to consumers, maintaining control of the product until it is sold
- only process a species of milk other than cow or goat milk (for example, sheep milk or water buffalo milk)
If you plan to operate a food premise, you must notify your local public health unit and comply with the requirements of the Health Protection and Promotion Act (Ontario) and O. Reg. 493/17: Food Premises.
For sheep or water buffalo milk, consider a co-packing arrangement where the milk is processed in a dairy plant that is licensed under the Milk Act.
How to apply
Follow these steps to apply:
- Gather the required documents.
- If you’re purchasing raw cow milk, you need a letter from Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) as proof that you have secured a supply of milk.
- If you’re constructing or altering a building for use as a dairy plant, you need to apply for a construction permit along with your licence application. You need to provide detailed drawings and specifications of your proposed construction or alteration, including equipment layout and specifications. Download a copy of the permit application for more details.
- If you plan to process dairy products on your farm, contact us at dairyfoodsafety@ontario.ca or
1-877-424-1300 for a copy of the Guidelines for On-Farm Dairy Processing Plants.
- Fill out and submit the necessary forms and attachments for:
- Once we receive your completed application(s), we will provide you with next steps.
When to begin construction
You can only begin construction after the director appointed under the Milk Act has approved the permit application. We can help you with information about applicable regulatory requirements throughout your planning and construction phases.
When to begin operation
You can only begin operation after you have received a licence issued by the director. The director will issue a licence after:
- the plant is complete and ready to operate
- we have inspected and confirmed that the plant meets all applicable regulatory requirements under the Milk Act as provided on the pre-licensing assessment checklist
Licensed dairy plants in Ontario
Browse a list of all provincially licensed dairy plants in Ontario. This information is also available in a map format.
Federally licensed establishments are listed on the Safe Food for Canadians Licence Registry.
Federal licensing
Only facilities that are federally licensed can export milk and milk products to other provinces and countries.
If you plan to sell or distribute milk products outside of Ontario, you need both:
- a provincial plant licence from the Ontario government.
- a licence from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)
Dual licensed dairy plants are subject to inspections by both the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the CFIA.
Definitions
- Food premises
- A premises where food or milk is manufactured, processed, prepared, stored, handled, displayed, distributed, transported, sold or offered for sale, but does not include a private residence
footnote 1 . - Milk product
- Any product processed or derived in whole or in part from milk, and includes cream, butter, cheese, cottage cheese, condensed milk, milk powder, dry milk, ice cream, ice cream mix, casein, malted milk, sherbet and such other products as are designated as milk products in the regulations
footnote 2 . - Products containing more than 0.5% non-milk fat, such as coconut oil, are not designated as milk products
footnote 3 . - Pasteurized milk and milk ingredients
- Products that have been pasteurized in a plant licensed under the Milk Act (Ontario) or equivalent
footnote 4 . - Processing
- Heating, pasteurizing, evaporating, drying, churning, freezing, packaging, packing, separating into component parts, combining with other substances by any process (such as smoking) or otherwise treating milk or cream or milk products in the manufacture or preparation of milk products or fluid milk products
footnote 2 .
Contact us
For questions about dairy plant licensing, email us at dairyfoodsafety@ontario.ca or call
Footnotes
- footnote[1] Back to paragraph Health Protection and Promotion Act (Ontario), Interpretation
- footnote[2] Back to paragraph Milk Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.12 (Ontario), Definitions
- footnote[3] Back to paragraph R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 753, s. 4(1)
- footnote[4] Back to paragraph R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 761, s. 1.2