Farmers Forum staff
WILMOT — Joris Salverda, known as “George the Milkman,” was recently fined $50,000 for operating an unlicenced milk plant, under the provincial Milk Act. He was also hit with an additional $1,000 fine for breaching a prior probation order after he was caught selling raw milk in 2021.
Salverda’s latest convictions by Justice of the Peace Anna M. Hampson in Kitchener Court, stem from his distribution of unpasteurized milk and milk products, a practice he continued despite his 2021 conviction and two-year probation.
The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness’s Regulatory Compliance Unit (RCU) launched an investigation after receiving reports of an unlicensed milk plant at Salverda’s farm at 2915 Huron Road, Wilmot. Investigators observed Salverda distributing raw milk, kefir, sour cream, butter, and other products from an unmarked van to customers in Toronto and Oakville, the court was told. A search warrant revealed a fully operational milk plant on the farm, complete with milking equipment, a cream separator, bulk tanks, and a cooler containing jars of milk products.
Salverda argued that the Milk Act did not apply to his “private” operation, claiming his sales are conducted through a referral system where customers signed waivers acknowledging the risks of raw milk, exempting him from regulation. Justice of the Peace Hampson disagree, citing the Ontario Court of Appeal’s 2014 ruling in R v. Schmidt: “The Milk Act makes no exception for ‘private’ operations.”
She also wrote: “I find the Defendant’s affairs as ‘George the Milkman’ is a scheme that purports to create (a) ‘private’ enclave and is an attempt to avoid the provisions of the Milk Act.”
The court found that Salverda’s operation involved selling unpasteurized milk and products to customers who paid separately for jars and their contents, with no public signage but a structured distribution system. A 13-page waiver document required customers to acknowledge health risks and waive protections under the Milk Act and other legislation. Despite these measures, Hampson ruled, “There is no constitutional right to sell unpasteurized milk.”
