Dairy product quality assurance begins at the farm and ends in the hands of the consumer. In this regard, raw milk quality is essential and is closely monitored. Raw milk must also meet other quality standards; it should be free of drug residues, free of added water and free of sediment, contaminants and other abnormalities. The overall condition and cleanliness of the dairy farm, as determined by routine inspections, are also considered. Although regulatory requirements have been instrumental in ensuring the quality of raw milk, most segments of the dairy industry feel that more stringent standards. This research study presents an insight into the number of bacteria as indicators of the quality of raw milk from the Ovče Pole region. For the needs of this research, an analysis was made of 1320 samples for the presence of bacteria in raw milk. According to European milk quality standards, in the biggest part of the samples, presence of bacteria does not meet the standard. From the analyzes made by the milk producers that were the subject of analysis in this reasearch, it can be concluded that they do not adhere to good agricultural practice, the level of milk contamination is high due to poor hygiene, improper handling of milk after milking and insufficient education of farmers for hygiene in primary production
