BEIJING  -- China has acted to clean up its raw milk industry to ensure safety at the source of the industrial chain, but some experts say the standards are still too low.

Gu Jicheng, secretary-general of the Dairy Association of China, said agricultural departments have eliminated 6,890 disqualified raw milk stations during a campaign that began in 2008.

In the wake of the campaign, 13,503 raw milk stations and 7,980 raw milk transportation vehicles are being monitored by local authorities, Gu said in an interview with People's Daily.

"All the stations are now either run by dairy companies, cow farms or cooperatives established by dairy farmers," said Gu, who cited the rise of machine-milking to 87 percent from 51 percent nearly three years ago as an example of improved hygiene standards.

However, according to a report on Sunday by Sina, a leading online media company, Guo Benheng, president of Bright Dairy & Food, said China's raw milk standard was one of the lowest in the world.

The country's raw milk standards for protein content and colony-forming units (CFU) are much lower than those in the United States and the European Union, the report said.

"International standards also require checks of antibiotics and nitrites in raw milk, but China does not even have such requirements," Guo said.

The credibility of China's dairy industry was severely damaged in 2008 when milk laced with melamine, a chemical added to milk products to make the protein content seem richer, made nearly 300,000 children sick and killed at least six.

China's milk processing technology is among the world's best, but the problem now is the poor quality of raw milk, said Guo Benheng.

In January, the nation's top quality regulator also ordered that dairy product manufacturers must obtain new production certificates this year, and those with weak quality guarantees will be shut down.

By the end of March, only 643 dairy companies from a total of 1,176 had passed the tests, said Ren Fazheng, a professor with China Agricultural University.

Ren said this overhaul promoted restructuring in the industry and improved the quality of dairy products, changes confirmed by a surge in consumption.

According to figures provided by Ren, dairy output reached 21.59 million metric tons last year, up 48 percent compared to 2006. Meanwhile, per capita spending on dairy products by residents in 36 large and medium-sized cities reached 277 yuan ($43), up 40 percent compared to 2006.

XINHUA