Announcement on Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Importing Estonian Dairy Products

In accordance with relevant laws and regulations of our country and the regulations of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of the Republic of Estonia regarding the inspection and quarantine requirements for dairy products imported from Estonia, starting from the date of this announcement, dairy products from Estonia that meet the inspection and quarantine requirements are permitted for import: 

I. Basis for Inspection and Quarantine 

(1) The "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" and its implementing regulations, the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine of Animals and Plants" and its implementing regulations, and the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Inspection and Quarantine of Import and Export Commodities" and its implementing regulations. 

(2) "Measures for the Administration of Food Safety in Import and Export of the People's Republic of China" and "Regulations on the Registration of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import in the People's Republic of China". 

(3) "Agreement between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of the Republic of Estonia on Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Dairy Products Exported from Estonia to China." 

(4) Announcement No. 114 of the General Administration of Customs (Announcement on Clarifying Relevant Requirements for Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Dairy Products) 

II. Products Allowed for Import 

Products for export to China refer to foods that are originally produced in Estonia and are processed using cow's milk, sheep's milk and goat's milk as the main raw materials, including pasteurized milk, sterilized milk, modified milk, fermented milk, cheese and reconstituted cheese, whipping cream, cream, dry cream, condensed milk, milk powder, whey powder, whey protein powder, bovine colostrum powder, casein, milk minerals, milk-based infant formula foods and their premixes (or base powder). 

III. Requirements of the Manufacturing Enterprises 

Lacte products exported to China must be approved or registered by the official institutions of Estonia. They should be produced in Estonia under the supervision of the official authorities of Estonia and must comply with the requirements regarding animal health and public health in both China and Estonia. 

According to the "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" and the "Regulations on the Registration Management of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import in China", enterprises exporting dairy products to China must be registered in China. Products produced by enterprises that have not obtained registration are not allowed to be exported to China. 

IV. Requirements for dairy animals providing raw milk 

The dairy animals providing raw milk for export to China must meet the following requirements: 

(1) From farms that meet the following conditions: 

The quarantine restrictions on foot-and-mouth disease have been lifted for at least two months. 

2. No outbreaks of bovine fever, Rift Valley fever or contagious bovine pleuropneumonia have occurred on the farm. 

3. There have been no confirmed cases of anthrax on the farm in the past 12 months. 

4. Estonia has never confirmed a case of mad cow disease. Since May 2014, Estonia has been officially recognized by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) as a country with negligible risk of mad cow disease. 

5. No clinical symptoms of brucellosis, bovine paratuberculosis (also known as Johne's disease), or tuberculosis were found on the farm. 

6. There is no rinderpest, scabies or sheep pox on the farm. 

7. The farm is supervised by the Estonian authorities or by an officially recognized third-party institution. 

8. The farm and its surrounding areas have not been subject to quarantine restrictions due to animal diseases in accordance with the WOAH code and the official Estonian animal health regulations. 

(2) The animals have not been fed with the feed that is prohibited from being given to animals in Estonia and China. 

(3) Implement the national annual residual monitoring plan formulated by Estonia and require enterprises to conduct tests on raw milk. 

(4) According to the national residue monitoring plan of Estonia and the test results of raw milk, the residues of veterinary drugs, pesticides and other toxic and harmful substances in the dairy products exported to China do not exceed the maximum limits set by Chinese standards. 

V. Certificate Requirements 

The dairy products exported to China should be accompanied by a veterinary health certificate issued by the official of Estonia. 

VI. Food Safety Requirements 

The dairy products exported to China should comply with the regulations of the laws and regulations of Estonia and China, as well as the requirements of China's national food safety standards. The raw milk used for the exported dairy products should come from Estonia, and the dairy product raw materials should come from the countries (regions) that have been approved to export corresponding dairy products to China. 

(1) The dairy products exported to China should comply with the regulations of Estonia and China's laws and the requirements of China's national food safety standards. 

(2) The raw milk used for exporting dairy products to China should come from Estonia. The dairy product raw materials should be from countries (regions) that have been approved for exporting corresponding dairy products to China. 

(3) The imported dairy products should be easily identifiable at all stages of processing and storage, and they must not be processed together with dairy products that do not comply with the provisions of this announcement. 

(4) The raw milk used for processing dairy products for export to China shall not contain milk produced during the period of antibiotic application and the period of drug-free rest, nor shall it contain spoiled milk or colostrum (except when used for processing colostrum powder). 

(5) The infant formula food based on milk does not contain colostrum components. 

(6) The product undergoes one of the following processing procedures: 

Minimum temperature of 132℃ for a disinfection process lasting at least 1 second (Ultra-High Temperature UHT); 

2. If the pH of the milk is lower than 7.0, a disinfection procedure at the lowest temperature of 72℃ for at least 15 seconds (high-temperature instantaneous pasteurization HTST) should be adopted; 

3. If the pH of the milk is 7.0 or above, the HTST procedure should be applied twice. 

VII. Packaging and Labeling Requirements 

The dairy products exported to China must be packaged in brand-new materials that comply with Chinese standards. The outer packaging should be marked in Chinese, Estonian and English with details such as specifications, place of origin (specific to state/province/city), destination, product name, weight, manufacturer's name, registration number, production batch number, storage conditions, production date and shelf life. 

The inner packaging must comply with relevant Chinese regulations. The label should indicate the country of origin, product name, enterprise registration number, production enterprise name and address, contact information, production date and shelf life, as well as the production batch number. 

VIII. Storage and Transportation Requirements 

The entire process of exporting dairy products to China, including packaging, storage and transportation, must comply with hygiene standards to prevent contamination by toxic or harmful substances. After the goods are loaded into containers, seals must be affixed. The seal number should be noted in the veterinary and health export certificate. During transportation, the packaging must not be opened or replaced. 

This is to make the following announcement.

General Administration of Customs 

October 17th, 2025