Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for the Wild Aquatic Products from Uruguay
I. Inspection and Quarantine Basis
(1)The Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Inspection of Import and Export Commodities, the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Inspection of Import and Export Commodities, the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, and the Regulations for the Implementation of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China;
(2)The Measures for the Administration of the Safety of Import and Export Food of the People's Republic of China, and the Provisions on the Registration Management of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food of the People's Republic of China;
(3)The Protocol on the Inspection and Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for the Import of Wild Aquatic Products from the Oriental Republic of Uruguay to China between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (hereinafter referred to as the "Protocol").
II. Scope of Imported Products
Wild aquatic products refer to wild aquatic animal products and their products, as well as marine plant products and their products for human consumption, but do not include species listed in the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the National Key Protected Wild Animals of China (LSKPWA), live aquatic animals, and aquatic animal and plant breeding materials.
III. Requirements for Production Enterprises
The production enterprises (including processing enterprises, fishing vessels, transport vessels, processing vessels, and independent cold storage facilities) exporting wild aquatic products to China shall be approved by the Uruguayan authorities and under their effective supervision, and their sanitary conditions shall meet the requirements of the relevant food safety and public health laws and regulations of China and Uruguay.
In accordance with the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and its implementation regulations, and the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, the production enterprises exporting wild aquatic products to China shall be recommended for registration by the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (hereinafter referred to as the "Uruguayan Party") to the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "Chinese Party"). Exports to China are not allowed without registration.
IV. Requirements for Imported Products
The Uruguayan Party shall ensure that the wild aquatic products exported to China meet the following conditions:
(1)Legally caught in Uruguay or international waters;
(2)The raw materials and products have not been involved in the following areas:
①Outbreaks of aquatic animal diseases related to the products listed in the Catalogue of Animal Quarantine Diseases for Entry into China and notifiable to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in the territory of Uruguay, which have infected or may infect the wild aquatic products exported to China;
②Major food safety incidents in Uruguay that have affected or may affect the wild aquatic products exported to China;
③Any major public health incidents in the production enterprises, such as employees infected with major infectious diseases, which have contaminated or may contaminate the wild aquatic products and their packaging and transportation tools exported to China;
④Serious violations of Chinese and Uruguayan laws and regulations as well as the provisions of the Protocol by the wild aquatic products already exported or intended to be exported to China;
⑤Pollution of the fishing grounds, such as radioactive pollution, which has contaminated or may contaminate the wild aquatic products exported to China.
(3) No direct or indirect addition of prohibited drugs or additives by both parties, and the addition of limited-use or permitted drugs or additives shall be in accordance with the regulations; the wild aquatic products exported to China shall be free of toxic and harmful substances and foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, and meet the food safety and sanitary requirements of both parties;
(4)All wild aquatic products exported to China shall be inspected in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of China and Uruguay, and shall be inspected and quarantined by the competent authorities, proving to be sanitary, safe, and suitable for human consumption, with no pathological signs of infectious diseases and parasitic diseases, and no diseases listed in the Catalogue of Animal Quarantine Diseases for Entry into China and notifiable to the WOAH;
(5)The whole process of catching, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, transshipment, and export shall comply with the relevant sanitary requirements and traceability requirements of both parties, as well as the relevant safety and sanitary requirements of the cold chain.
V. Certificate Requirements
Each batch or container of wild aquatic products exported from Uruguay to China shall be accompanied by at least one original health certificate, certifying that the batch of products complies with the relevant veterinary and public health laws and regulations of China and Uruguay, as well as the provisions of the Protocol. The Uruguayan Party shall fully fill in the health certificate with the information of the production enterprises involved in the whole process of catching, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, transshipment, and export, including the names and registration numbers of the processing plants, fishing vessels, transport vessels, processing vessels, and independent cold storage facilities, without omitting any production enterprises involved in the above-mentioned links.
The certificate shall be printed in Chinese, Spanish, and English (English and Spanish are mandatory languages for filling out the certificate content). The format and content of the certificate shall be mutually recognized by both parties in advance. The Uruguayan Party shall promptly provide the Chinese Party with samples of the health certificates, the official issuing agencies and their seals, and the list of official veterinary officers and their signatures for record. If there are changes in the content and format of the certificate sample, the Uruguayan Party shall file with the Chinese Party at least one month before it takes effect.
VI. Packaging and Labeling Requirements
The wild aquatic products exported from Uruguay to China shall have outer packaging and individual inner packaging. The inner and outer packaging shall be made of new materials that meet international sanitary standards and prevent contamination by external factors.
For aquatic products directly entering the domestic consumer market in China, the inner and outer packaging shall have a firm, clear, and easily identifiable Chinese-English or Chinese-Spanish label, which shall include: commodity name and scientific name, specification, production date, batch number, shelf life, storage conditions, production method (wild-caught), country of origin, production area, name and registration number of the production enterprise, address of the production enterprise (down to the state/province/city), and destination (marked as the People's Republic of China). For imports that do not directly enter the domestic consumer market (including those used as raw materials for processing or re-export), the outer packaging shall be labeled with the information mentioned in this paragraph.
The Chinese label on the pre-packaged wild aquatic products exported to China shall comply with the requirements for the labeling of pre-packaged imported food in China.
VII. Other Requirements
The Chinese Customs shall implement import inspection and quarantine on wild aquatic products from Uruguay.
For products that do not meet the requirements of the Chinese Party, the Chinese Customs shall, in accordance with the law, return, destroy, or take other measures on the relevant products. For production enterprises with serious problems or repeated non-conformity issues, the Chinese Customs will take measures such as strengthening inspection and quarantine or banning imports.
GACC
April 10, 2024
