Canada bans raw-milk cheese imports from Europe after cattle disease outbreak – CTV
September 29, 2025
Some popular cheeses will be missing from store shelves this holiday season after the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) banned imports of raw-milk products from France, Italy and Switzerland following outbreaks of lumpy skin disease in European cattle herds.
The ban applies to non-pasteurized cheeses produced on or after May 23, 2025. That means classics such as Brie de Meaux, Saint-Marcellin, Comté, Swiss Gruyère and Parmigiano Reggiano will become harder to find as inventories across the province dwindle in the coming months.
Ibrahim Abdelgawad, owner of Fromagerie Maisonneuve in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, said he is worried about the ban because he doesn’t know when it will be lifted.
“From what I understand from suppliers, it’s permanent — like in the United States, where raw-milk cheeses are banned. Canada may apply the same regulations. And it’s worrying because that’s our specialty,” he said in an interview.
His father founded the cheese shop in 1985, giving the family decades of expertise in the trade.
