Commercial sale of raw milk is prohibited; all raw milk must enter the licensed processing supply chain under State Council regulations enacted after the 2008 melamine scandal. On-site consumption at agritourism venues is not explicitly addressed by commercial regulations.
Raw milk (shēngxiān rǔ / 生鲜乳) cannot be sold directly to consumers through retail or farm-direct channels in China. All raw milk must flow through licensed purchasing stations (shōunǎi zhàn / 收奶站) operated by dairy processors, farms, or cooperatives, and enter the processing supply chain. This framework was established by the State Council's Dairy Product Quality and Safety Supervision Regulations (2008), issued in direct response to the melamine contamination scandal in which tainted infant formula sickened approximately 300,000 infants.
GB 19301-2010, the National Food Safety Standard for Raw Milk, reinforces this structure: its scope explicitly states that the standard applies to raw milk as a production input and does not apply to ready-to-drink raw milk. A first amendment to GB 19301 was notified to the WTO in October 2023 and remains under development.
On-site consumption at agritourism venues — such as traditional Inner Mongolian horse dairy operations where visitors drink fresh mare's milk (mǎ rǔ / 马乳) as part of a guided tour — exists in a different regulatory context. The commercial supply chain regulations target licensed collection, transport, and sale of raw milk as a commodity; they do not explicitly prohibit a visitor drinking milk directly from an animal at a farm. Northern China and Inner Mongolia have longstanding traditions of fermented mare's milk (koumiss), practiced by Mongolian and other northern ethnic communities.
Official government documents and legal resources for China
State Council decree establishing the licensing framework for raw milk purchasing stations and prohibiting unlicensed farm-to-consumer raw milk sales. Issued October 9, 2008 in response to the melamine contamination scandal. Official English translation via Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
View Official Resource →National food safety standard defining raw milk quality and microbiological requirements. Scope explicitly states it applies to raw milk as a processing input, not as a ready-to-drink consumer product.
View Official Resource →
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