China Consults on Revisions to Measures for Inspection, Quarantine, Supervision, and Administration of Imported and Exported Feed and Feed Additives

The General Administration of Customs of the P.R.C. (GACC) issued a notice on November 18, 2024, soliciting public feedback on the proposed revisions to the “Measures for Inspection, Quarantine, Supervision, and Administration of Imported and Exported Feed and Feed Additives” (hereinafter referred to as the draft).

The revised Administrative Measures expands from 70 to 76 articles, with 54 articles revised, 14 new articles added, and 8 articles deleted. Key revisions are summarized below. Feedback can be sent to [email protected] before December 18, 2024.

Major Revisions

1. General Rules

• The terms "imported" and "exported" have been replaced with "entry" and "exit" throughout the regulation, including the title, which is now “Measures for Entry and Exit Inspection, Quarantine, Supervision, and Administration of Feed and Feed Additives.” This change aligns with terminology used in other regulations, such as the "Law on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine".

• A new legal basis, the “Regulation on the Administration of Feed and Feed Additives”, has been added.

• Grains for feed use have been removed from the scope of these Measures due to their specialty. Currently, grains for feed use are subject to inspection and quarantine regulations for grains rather than feed and are not included in feed risk monitoring plans.

• The general responsibilities of companies involved in the production, processing, storage, and trading of feed are emphasized.

2. Risk Management

• The current effective regulation introduces "enterprise classification" as a measure for risk management. But in practice, authorities did not classify enterprises due to the incompatibilities with current working systems. The draft now proposes managing enterprises based on their credit, aligning with the China Customs enterprise credit management system.

• In the event of safety and hygiene issues, GACC can adopt risk management measures such as strengthening inspections & quarantine, restricting, or suspending the entry and exit of feed, in addition to issuing risk warnings.

3. Entry Inspection and Quarantine

• Quarantine Access: A new section called “Quarantine Access” has been created in Chapter III, primarily retaining content from the current regulation with minor changes, to better inform enterprises about the access procedures.

• Overseas Manufacturer Registration: A new article allows GACC to implement measures when feed from registered overseas producers fails inspection and quarantine, including a) conducting stronger inspections; b) notifying non-compliance, requiring rectification and suspending entry during the rectification period; and c) revoking registration in severe cases.

• Accompanied Documents for Declaration: The draft clarifies the required accompanying documents for customs declaration and specifies five situations where document review by local customs will lead to the return or destruction of feed products. For instance, this applies if the overseas manufacturer is not listed on GACC’s approved lists.

• Supervision Management: The draft clarifies designated storage and processing requirements for high-risk feeds. It also revises packaging and labeling requirements, stating that packaging must comply with Chinese safety and sanitation regulations and include labels that meet the "Regulations on the Administration of Feed and Feed Additives". Additionally, bulk packaged single feed raw materials can now be transported directly to manufacturers if certain conditions are met.

4. Transit Inspection and Quarantine

The requirements for transit inspection and quarantine have been slightly revised for clarity. For example, enterprises must notify customs at the port of exit for feed in transit. The draft specifies that customs will confirm the integrity of the original container, packaging, and seals before exit.

5. Legal Liability

The draft revises, adds, and details six non-compliant cases in Article 66 that require legal action. For instance, it states that for those who buy, sell, or use forged or altered quarantine documents will face criminal responsibility. If the offense is minor, customs may impose a fine of between 20,000 and 50,000 yuan.

For further translation of this draft or registration service about feed, please email [email protected].