Oregon’s raw milk law focuses on public safety.

Interest in raw milk has risen along with consumer preference for locally grown farm products of all sorts. But raw milk is unpasteurized. Consuming unpasteurized or raw milk presents severe food safety risks, which is why the dairy industry, the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strongly support pasteurization. The process of pasteurization effectively eliminates all strains of listeria, E. coli and salmonella

Oregon law currently deems it illegal for dairies to sell raw (unpasteurized) cow’s milk for human consumption through retail outlets. People who sell raw milk can own no more than three dairy cows, and can only milk two of them at any one time. Also, they cannot advertise their raw milk or deliver it off the farm.