China and the Netherlands expand dairy supply-chain cooperation

China-Netherlands dairy trade reached $2.03 billion in 2025, according to the source. The Netherlands was identified as China’s second-largest overseas dairy supplier, with infant formula among the main products in the trade flow.

Dutch processors accounted for 36% of all imported infant formula entering the Chinese domestic market. The trade relationship also includes cooperation around food-safety procedures and the verification of supply chains between Asian import markets and European manufacturing centres.

Quality control in Dutch dairy processing covers stages from the collection of raw milk to the distribution of finished products. The source says that statutory regulators, industry organisations and independent laboratories collectively oversee standards covering about 98% of the milk collected in the Netherlands.

Extended dairy-processing chains include farm silage management, refrigerated transport and industrial spray drying. The source describes coordinated monitoring as part of efforts to control contamination risks and maintain the quality of finished products as manufacturers produce specialised formulations and clinical paediatric nutrition.

Large European dairy cooperatives apply multiple testing stages to infant-nutrition products. More than 3,000 analytical screenings can be conducted across the farm-to-factory chain, while over 2,000 diagnostic tests are completed before industrial production begins.

China is described as the leading destination outside the European Union for Dutch dairy manufacturers. Bilateral commercial cooperation also includes technical initiatives relating to concentrated nutrition and transparency in farmgate governance, alongside broader work on traceability and premium nutrition standards.