Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Aquaculture Products from Croatia to China

According to the regulations of the Chinese Customs and the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on the inspection, quarantine and sanitation requirements for Croatian farmed aquatic products exported to China, from now on, Croatian farmed aquatic products that meet the following relevant requirements are allowed to be imported:

I. Inspection and Quarantine Basis

(I) "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" and its implementing regulations, "Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine" and its implementing regulations, "Import and Export Commodity Inspection Law of the People's Republic of China" and its implementing regulations;

(II) "Administrative Measures for Import and Export Food Safety of the People's Republic of China" and "Registration and Administration Regulations for Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food of the People's Republic of China";

(III) "Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of the Republic of Croatia on Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitation Requirements for Croatian Farmed Aquatic Products Exported to China".

II. Scope of Imported Products

Farmed aquatic products refer to aquatic animal products and their products, algae and other marine plant products and their products that are artificially cultivated for human consumption, excluding species listed in the Appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the List of Key Protected Wildlife in China, live aquatic animals and aquatic animal and plant propagation materials.

III. Requirements for production enterprises

Production enterprises (including processing enterprises and independent cold storage) and farms that export farmed aquatic products to China shall be approved by Croatian authorities and be subject to effective supervision. The sanitary conditions of production enterprises shall comply with the requirements of relevant veterinary and public health regulations of China and Croatia.

According to the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China and its implementing regulations and the Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its implementing regulations, production enterprises that export farmed aquatic products to China shall be recommended by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to the Chinese Customs for registration. Without registration, they shall not be exported to China.

IV. Requirements for imported products

The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shall ensure that farmed aquatic products exported to China meet the following conditions:

(i) Farmed in domestic waters.

(ii) The raw materials and products do not have the following problems:

1. Aquatic animal diseases related to the products of the Protocol listed in the List of Entry Animal Quarantine Diseases of the People's Republic of China and required to be reported by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) occur in Croatia, causing farmed aquatic products exported to China to be or may be infected;

2. Any major food safety incidents in Croatia have affected or may affect farmed aquatic products exported to China;

3. The farmed aquatic products exported or to be exported to China by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries seriously violate the laws and regulations of China and Croatia and the provisions of the Protocol;

4. Major public health incidents occur in production enterprises, such as employees infected with major infectious diseases, which have contaminated or may contaminate farmed aquatic products exported to China and their packaging and transportation vehicles.

5. The breeding area is affected by pollutants, such as radioactive pollutants, which have contaminated or may contaminate farmed aquatic products exported to China.

(iii) The production enterprises recommended for registration by the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to the Chinese Customs, and the aquatic products must be included in the annual government control plan, including food safety management system verification, annual residue monitoring plan and microbial monitoring plan, as well as subsequent relevant regulatory measures. No drugs or additives banned by both parties are used directly or indirectly, and drugs or additives restricted or permitted by both parties are used in accordance with regulations. The competent authorities ensure that farmed aquatic products exported to China do not contain pathogenic microorganisms, toxic and harmful substances and foreign matter listed in the laws and regulations of China and Croatia through the official food safety control system.

(iv) All farmed aquatic products exported to China have been quarantined and inspected by the competent authorities and are hygienic, safe and suitable for human consumption. No pathological signs of infectious and parasitic diseases have been found, and no aquatic animal diseases listed in the List of Animal Quarantine Diseases Entering the People's Republic of China and required to be reported by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) have been found.

(v) The entire process of breeding, production and processing, packaging, storage, transportation, transit and export shall comply with the relevant aquatic product hygiene requirements and traceability requirements of both parties. At the same time, it shall comply with the relevant safety and hygiene requirements of the cold chain.

V. Certificate requirements

Each batch or container of farmed aquatic products exported by Croatia to China shall be accompanied by at least one original health certificate to prove that the batch of products complies with the relevant laws and regulations on food safety of China and Croatia and the relevant provisions of the Protocol. The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shall fully fill in the information of the production enterprises involved in the entire process of breeding, production and processing, packaging, storage, transportation, transit and export on the health certificate.

The certificate shall be printed in Chinese and English (English is the required language when filling in the certificate). The format and content of the certificate shall be approved by both parties in advance. The Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shall promptly submit the certificate sample, official issuing agency seal and signing official handwriting to China Customs for record. If there are any changes in the content and format of the certificate sample, official issuing agency seal and signing official handwriting, the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries shall file with China Customs at least one month before the certificate takes effect.

VI. Packaging and labeling requirements

Croatia’s farmed aquatic products exported to China should have outer packaging and separate inner packaging (except whole fish). The inner and outer packaging should be new materials that meet international food safety standards and meet the requirements of preventing contamination by external factors.

The inner and outer packaging should have firm, clear and easily identifiable Chinese and English labels indicating the following: product name and scientific name, specifications, production date, batch number, shelf life and storage conditions, production method (farming), production area, names of all involved production enterprises, registration numbers and addresses (specific to states/provinces/cities), and destination (must be marked as the People’s Republic of China).

For farmed aquatic products exported to China in pre-packaged form, the pre-packaged Chinese label should comply with China’s import pre-packaged food labeling requirements.

VII. Other requirements

China Customs implements import inspection and quarantine on farmed aquatic products exported to China.

For unqualified products, they will be returned, destroyed or otherwise handled in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations. For manufacturers with serious problems or repeated unqualified problems, Chinese customs will take measures such as strengthening inspection and quarantine or suspending imports.

GACC

June 12, 2025

Catalogue of farmed aquatic products exported from Croatia to China