Germany Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

Germany has two legal routes for raw milk. Vorzugsmilch is certified raw milk from specially approved farms, sold packaged to consumers in shops. Rohmilch ab Hof is raw milk sold directly at the dairy farm where it was produced, often from a self-service milk dispenser (Milchtankstelle). Both are set out in the federal hygiene regulation for food of animal origin, the Tierische Lebensmittel-Hygieneverordnung (Tier-LMHV).

Is raw milk legal in Germany?

Yes, through the two routes above. Section 17 of the Tier-LMHV opens with a general rule that raw milk and raw cream may not be supplied to consumers, then sets out the exceptions that make up Germany's raw milk system. Paragraphs 2 and 3 allow certified Vorzugsmilch to be sold to consumers, and paragraph 4 allows dairy farms to sell their own raw milk at the farm.

Vorzugsmilch: certified raw milk in shops

Vorzugsmilch may be sold to consumers prepackaged, or in sealed churns or similar containers with a fixed label, anywhere except institutional catering (Gemeinschaftsverpflegung). The producing farm needs approval from its local authority under Section 18, granted when the farm meets the standards in Annex 9 of the regulation:

• The milking animals are housed separately from other dairy animals, examined before their first Vorzugsmilch milking, checked clinically by a veterinarian every month, and given monthly cell-count tests on individual milk samples.
• The milk is cooled to 4°C or below within two hours, in a dedicated milk room.
• Monthly samples must meet strict limits: a plate count of 20,000 per ml (with a ceiling of 50,000), low Enterobacteriaceae and coagulase-positive staphylococci, a somatic cell count of 200,000 per ml (ceiling 300,000) for cows and sheep, and no Salmonella in 25 ml.
• The phosphatase test must be positive for cow's milk, confirming the milk has not been heated.

From bottling to sale, Vorzugsmilch must stay at or below 8°C. The package carries the word "Rohmilch" before the use-by date and "Aufbewahren bei höchstens +8 °C" (store at no more than 8°C) after it. The use-by date can be no more than 96 hours after milking. The authority can approve exceptions for frozen Vorzugsmilch. The rules cover milk from cows, sheep, goats and horses, so certified mare's milk is sold under the same name.

Vorzugsmilch farms are few in number. The Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority (LGL) noted in 2022 that one farm in Bavaria held the approval.

Rohmilch ab Hof: raw milk at the farm

Under Section 17(4), a dairy farm may sell raw milk directly to consumers when:

• the sale takes place at the farm;
• the milk comes from the farm's own animals and was handled there;
• the milk was milked on the day of sale or the day before;
• a clearly visible sign at the point of sale reads "Rohmilch, vor dem Verzehr abkochen" (raw milk, boil before consumption); and
• the farm has notified its local food authority in advance.

The hygiene requirements of Annex 2 of the general food hygiene regulation (LMHV) apply. The authority may approve individual exceptions to the timing, sign and notification rules for supply to a defined group of people.

Farm-gate sales increasingly run through self-service dispensers. Milchtankstellen let customers fill their own bottles around the clock, and many sit beside farm shops selling eggs, cheese and meat.

Raw milk cheese

Raw milk cheese is widely made and sold in Germany. Section 19 of the Tier-LMHV allows the authority to approve raw milk for cheese aged at least 60 days, and Section 19a gives mountain pasture dairies (Almen and Alpen) a route to make hard and semi-hard cheese aged more than 60 days from their own raw milk.

Finding raw milk in Germany

Farms with Milchtankstellen, Vorzugsmilch producers and raw milk cheesemakers are listed at raw milk in Germany. For the vocabulary on German labels, see Germany calls raw milk Rohmilch or Vorzugsmilch, and for farm dispensers, Refill your raw milk at the Milchtankstellen in Germany. Machines across the continent are covered in Raw Milk Vending Machines in Europe.