In recent years, with the rapid development of global trade, new products are emerging. Many foreign animal and plant products are imported to China. What steps they need to go through to get into Chinese boarders? What kind of regulations does Chinese quarantine access system have? Please follow us to understand the import knowledge of foreign animal and plant products.

Notice · Interpretation

The Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China, Article 23 stipulates: "The State establishes a state access system for animals and plants, animal and plant products and high-risk biological factors of "First entry" and "Resumption of entry after suspension". 

Meaning of "First entry" and "Resumption of entry after suspension"

First entry: The first entry into China of an animal or plant or its product from a country or region that has never been admitted.

Resumption of entry after suspension: Application for resumption of entry of animals, plants and their products after suspension of entry due to the outbreak of epidemic diseases in the exporting country or region or production enterprise, or the detection of epidemic diseases of concern to China.

The Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China includes the national biosecurity access system into China's biosecurity management system for the first time from the legal level. Animal and plant quarantine access is an important part of the national biosecurity access system, which lays a legal foundation for the Customs to carry out quarantine access of imported animals and plants and their products. This symbolized Chinese animal and plant quarantine access will move to a more standardized and refined period.

01 What is the national access System?

National access system means:

Procedures related to the biosecurity risk analysis of foreign products to be imported into China to determine whether to allow them to enter China.

02 What is Animal and Plant quarantine Access?

Animal and plant quarantine access means:

In order to safeguard national biosecurity, prevent and respond to biosecurity risks, and prevent the introduction of zoonotic diseases, parasitic diseases, plant dangerous diseases, insects, weeds and other harmful organisms, the law assess and review the biosecurity risks of plants and animals and their products intended to enter China, as well as the official biosecurity status and management system of exporting countries or regions; Quarantine requirements shall be determined according to the results. Relevant products from countries or regions that have not passed the biosecurity assessment shall not enter the country.   

The access system of animal and plant quarantine is an important technical trade measure and the first barrier of safety and health prevention and control of animals and plants and their products imported.

03 How the process of animal and plant quarantine access developed 

In 1995, the Plant Pest Risk Assessment Expert Group was established for the first time by the Bureau based on international standards and practices.

In 2002, previous AQSIQ set up the Risk Analysis Committee for import and Export Animal and Plant Quarantine. The access and risk assessment system for imported agricultural products has been improved.

Through the continuous efforts of more than 20 years, our country import agricultural products quarantine access work has made great efforts. So far, a large number of agricultural products from countries or regions have been approved for quarantine access to China.

Since the institutional reform, the General Administration of Customs (GACC) has constantly updated and published the announcement of entry of animals and plants and animal and plant products and the registration list of enterprises, and regularly published the list of exported animals and plants and animal and plant products approved  countries or regions for entry into China through the GACC portal website.

On December 29, 2021, in order to implement the Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China and strengthen the Customs’ administration over the Entry of Animal and Plant Quarantine, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice to solicit public comments on the Draft Measures for the Access of Animal and Plant Quarantine.

04 What are procedures for the animal and plant quarantine access into China at present?

At present Chinese quarantine access procedure basically includes 6 steps:

1. Application for admission

Before the animals, plants and their products that have not been approved for access into China enter the country for the first time, the official competent department of the exporting country or region shall submit a written application for access to the General Administration of Customs.

2. Conduct risk analysis

The General Administration of Customs issues questionnaires to the official authorities of the intended exporting countries, informs the official competent authorities of the applying countries or regions of the technical data to be provided and organizes experts to examine the application materials, conducts risk analysis, and decides whether overseas on-site assessment is necessary according to the results.

3. Overseas on-site assessment

For the animals, plants and their products that need overseas on-site assessment, the General Administration of Customs will select experts and form a on-site assessment working group to carry out overseas on-site assessment. The on-site assessment working group will prepare an assessment report based on the official biosecurity management level and biosecurity control level of the proposed exporting country.

4. Conducting bilateral consultations

On the basis of risk analysis and on-site assessment, the General Administration of Customs shall carry out consultations with the official competent authorities of exporting countries or regions, jointly determine the quarantine requirements of imported animals and plants and their products as well as the samples of official certificates, and sign bilateral agreements or memoranda as necessary.

5. Release access notice

For animals and plants, animal and plant products and other quarantine objects that have completed the access procedures, the General Administration of Customs shall issue an access notice.

6. Retrospective review

In accordance with the quarantine requirements agreed bilaterally, the General Administration of Customs shall regularly or irregularly carry out retrospective review of the official supervision system of the exporting country or region and the enterprises registered overseas, so as to ensure the continuous safety and quality of the animals, plants and their products exported to China.

05 Most frequent questions & answers

Q: I want to import certain fruit products from a certain country. Do I need to go through the approval process?

Answer: import of grain and fresh fruit need to go through quarantine approval. Plant seeds, seedlings, flowers and other plant seeds shall be subject to quarantine examination and approval by the competent administrative departments of agriculture and forestry.

Q: Our company wants to import corn products from a certain country. After consulting, it is the first time to import to China. What are the procedures to follow?

A: The General Administration of Customs implements quarantine access system for imported grain.When a certain type of grain is imported from the exporting country or region for the first time, the official competent authority of the exporting country or region shall submit a written application to the General Administration of Customs, and provide technical data such as the types of harmful organisms occurring in the planting, storage and transportation of the grain, the degree of damage, the situation of prevention and control, the quality and safety control system, etc. Under special circumstances, the import enterprise may apply to provide technical data.

Q: If I want to import foreign plant products, do I need to provide a foreign plant quarantine certificate?

A: imported grain, fruit, wood, plant seedlings, plant-derived feed and feed products containing plant-derived ingredients are all required to provide plant quarantine certificates issued by overseas official authorities.

Q: I want to import a certain type of food products from a certain country. Is the two-stage access mode applicable?

A: Currently, imported corn, soybeans, sorghum, barley and other commodities are subject to conditional pick-up. If conditional removal is selected, enterprises need to check "conditional pick-up" in the "two-section access application" when they declare at a single window.