England has the UK's largest legal raw milk sector, with around 140 registered producers selling via farm gate, vending machines, markets and online.
England accounts for the large majority of the United Kingdom's legal raw milk trade. Of the 149 establishments on the Food Standards Agency register as at 1 March 2026, roughly 140 were English. Raw drinking milk (RDM) may be sold direct to the final consumer by any holding registered with the FSA.
FSA guidance permits sale direct from the farm gate, from a farm shop, vending machine or bed and breakfast within the curtilage of the production holding, via internet sales placed direct with the holding, from a farmers market stall (treated in law as an extension of the farm gate), and through a distributor selling directly to the final consumer. Traditional doorstep delivery in reusable glass bottles also continues.
Sale through supermarkets and general retail shops is prohibited, as is siting a vending machine in a retail outlet away from the farm. On-farm vending machines have driven much of the sector's recent growth and are now the most visible face of raw milk in England.
The governing legislation is the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, whose Schedule 6 sets the microbiological standards for raw drinking milk: plate count at 30°C of no more than 20,000 CFU/ml and coliforms below 100 CFU/ml. Selling milk that breaches those limits is an offence. Retained EU law adds herd-level requirements, including a rolling somatic cell count at or below 400,000 per ml for cows' milk.
Registered holdings undergo combined hygiene audits and inspections roughly twice a year, and testing is expected through UKAS-accredited laboratories with samples taken from the final container or vending machine. Every bottle must carry the statutory warning: "This milk has not been heat treated and may contain organisms harmful to health." Milk must also be labelled with the words "raw milk," except where supplied in reusable glass bottles by a roundsman.
Enforcement is split by species. The FSA is the enforcement authority for raw cows' drinking milk; local authorities take responsibility for raw milk from goats, sheep and buffalo.
England is one of the few places in the world where the government publishes a live, addressed list of raw milk producers. The FSA register is updated monthly and includes trading name, address, species kept and the most recent compliance rating, making it the most reliable starting point for finding a nearby farm. For the wider picture, see the United Kingdom raw milk laws overview.
Official government documents and legal resources for England
The primary legislation governing raw drinking milk production and direct sales in England. Schedule 6 sets the microbiological standards of plate count at 30°C no greater than 20,000 CFU/ml and coliforms below 100 CFU/ml.
View Official Resource →Monthly published register of every registered raw drinking milk producer, with trading name, address, species kept and compliance rating. The most direct way to find a legal producer in England.
View Official Resource →FSA guidance on registration, permitted sales routes, microbiological standards, labelling and sampling for raw drinking milk producers.
View Official Resource →Search for raw milk sources near popular locations in England
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