Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Export of Dairy Products from Romania

In accordance with the regulations regarding inspection and quarantine requirements for dairy products established by the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority of Romania, effective from the date of issuance of this Announcement, the importation of Romanian dairy products that meet the prescribed inspection and quarantine requirements is permitted:

I. Basis for Inspection and Quarantine

(1) The *Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China* and its Implementing Regulations; the *Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine* and its Implementing Regulations; and the *Law of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection* and its Implementing Regulations.

(2) The *Administrative Measures of the People's Republic of China for the Safety of Import and Export Food* and the *Administrative Provisions of the People's Republic of China on Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food*.

(3) The *Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of China and the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority of Romania on Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Dairy Products to be Exported to China*.

(4) GACC Announcement No. 114 of 2021 (Announcement on Clarifying Relevant Requirements for Inspection and Quarantine of Imported Dairy Products).

II. Products Permitted for Import

The Romanian dairy products permitted for import refer to various types of milk and dairy-based food products that originate in Romania, are processed using cow's milk, sheep's milk, or goat's milk as primary raw materials, and comply with China's national food safety standards. These include, but are not limited to: pasteurized milk, sterilized milk, modified milk, fermented milk, cheese and processed cheese, cream, butter, anhydrous butter, condensed milk, milk powder, whey powder, whey protein powder, bovine colostrum powder, casein, milk mineral salts, milk-based infant formula and its premixes (or base powders), etc.

III. Requirements for Production Enterprises

Enterprises producing dairy products for export to China must be approved or registered by the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority of Romania; they must manufacture their products within Romania under official supervision; and they must comply with the relevant animal health and public health requirements of both China and Romania.

In accordance with the *Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China* and the *Administrative Provisions of the People's Republic of China on Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food*, production enterprises exporting dairy products to China are required to register with the Chinese authorities; products manufactured by enterprises that have not obtained such registration shall not be exported to China.

IV. Requirements for Dairy Animals Supplying Raw Milk

Dairy animals supplying raw milk for dairy products exported to China must meet the following conditions:

(I) They must originate from farms that meet the following criteria:

1. For at least one month prior to the collection of raw milk, the farm must have had no cases or suspected cases of Foot and Mouth Disease.

2. At the time of raw milk collection, no clinical symptoms of Anthrax must have been detected on the farm.

3. The farm must be free from Bovine Tuberculosis, Paratuberculosis, Rinderpest, Rift Valley Fever, Peste des Petits Ruminants, Sheep Pox, Goat Pox, and Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia.

4. The farm must be under the supervision of the Romanian National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority.

5. Neither the farm nor its surrounding areas may be subject to quarantine restrictions due to animal diseases, in accordance with the codes of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and Romanian animal health regulations.

(II) The animals must not have been fed any feed or administered any veterinary drugs that are prohibited for use in animals by the laws and regulations of either Romania or China.

(III) The animals must be covered by Romania’s National Residue Monitoring Plan, and the enterprises involved are required to conduct testing on the raw milk.

(IV) Based on Romania’s National Residue Monitoring Plan and the results of raw milk testing, residues of veterinary drugs, pesticides, and other toxic or harmful substances in dairy products exported to China must not exceed the maximum limits established by Chinese standards.

V. Certification Requirements

Dairy products exported to China must be accompanied by a Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the Romanian National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority.

VI. Food Safety Requirements

(I) Dairy products exported to China must comply with the laws and regulations of both Romania and China, as well as the requirements of China’s National Food Safety Standards.

(II) The raw milk used as an ingredient in dairy products exported to China must originate from Romania or from a country (or region) that has been approved to export the corresponding dairy raw materials to China.

(III) Dairy products intended for export to China shall be readily identifiable at every stage of processing and storage, and shall not be processed together with dairy products that do not comply with the provisions of this Announcement.

(IV) Raw milk used for processing dairy products intended for export to China shall be free from milk produced during antibiotic treatment periods or withdrawal periods, spoiled milk, and colostrum (with the exception of colostrum used for the production of bovine colostrum powder).

(V) The products shall undergo one of the following processing procedures:

1. A sterilization procedure involving a minimum temperature of 132ºC held for at least 1 second (Ultra-High Temperature, UHT).

2. If the pH of the milk is below 7.0, a sterilization procedure involving a minimum temperature of 72ºC held for at least 15 seconds (High-Temperature Short-Time Pasteurization, HTST) shall be applied; if the pH of the milk is 7.0 or above, the HTST procedure shall be applied twice.

VII. Packaging and Labeling Requirements

Dairy products intended for export to China must be packaged using brand-new materials that comply with Chinese standards. The outer packaging shall be marked in both Chinese and English with the specifications, origin (specified to the level of state/province/city), destination, product name, weight, name of the manufacturing facility, its registration number in China, production batch number, storage conditions, production date, and shelf life.

The inner packaging shall comply with relevant Chinese regulations; the label affixed thereto shall indicate the country of origin, product name, enterprise registration number, name, address, and contact details of the manufacturing enterprise, production date and shelf life, and production batch number.

VIII. Storage and Transport Requirements

Throughout the entire process—from packaging and storage to transportation—dairy products intended for export to China shall be maintained under hygienic conditions to prevent contamination by toxic or harmful substances. Once the cargo has been loaded into containers, seals shall be affixed thereto, and the seal numbers must be recorded in the veterinary health export certificate. The packaging shall not be opened or replaced during transit.

GACC