General Administration of Customs Serbian pet food allowed for import (quarantine and health requirements)

Serbian pet food allowed for import by Chinese customs (after meeting quarantine and health requirements)

Pet ownership is becoming more and more common in the lives of Chinese people. To become a qualified pet owner, understanding pet food is essential.

According to the regulations of relevant laws and regulations in China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Resources Management of the Republic of Serbia on the quarantine and health requirements for Serbian pet food imported to China, starting today, Serbian pet food that meets relevant requirements is allowed to be imported.

1. Inspection and Quarantine Basis

(1) “Biosafety Law of the People’s Republic of China”;

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(2) “Animal and Plant Quarantine Law of the People’s Republic of China” and its implementation regulations;

(3) “Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection, Quarantine, and Supervision of Imported and Exported Feed and Feed Additives”;

(4) “Management Measures for the Inspection and Quarantine of Imported and Exported Genetically Modified Products”;

(5) “Agreement between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Resources Management of the Republic of Serbia on Quarantine and Health Requirements for Serbian Pet Food Imported to China”.

2. Scope of Allowed Imported Products

The pet food referred to in this announcement refers to products that are industrially processed and made for pets to eat directly, including pet dry food, canned food, snacks, and chew toys.

3. Production Enterprise Requirements

Serbian pet food production and processing enterprises that export to China should implement a hygiene management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, approved by the Serbian official supervisory authority (“Serbian side”), and accept its supervision and inspection. The products should meet the relevant requirements of the Serbian side and be allowed to be sold freely in the domestic market of Serbia.

A Serbian pet food production and processing company recommended by the Serbian side to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the “Chinese side”) can only export pet food to China after being registered by the Chinese side.

IV. Requirements for Raw Materials

(1) Land animal-derived raw materials are only from Serbia and have been slaughtered in officially approved slaughterhouses, and have undergone pre-slaughter and post-slaughter inspections with no symptoms of any infectious disease. Animals that have been slaughtered due to epidemic outbreaks or dead animals cannot be used as raw materials. If the raw materials are from countries other than Serbia, they must come from countries approved by the Chinese side for importing such raw materials.

(2) Land animal-derived raw materials come from non-epidemic areas of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, African swine fever, swine vesicular disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza, and Newcastle disease that comply with the requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and are recognized by the Chinese side.

(3) Aquatic raw materials come from fish or other marine animals (except marine mammals) and fish by-products (excluding intestines and gills) produced after the production of fish products for human consumption.

(4) Plant-derived raw materials do not contain toxic or harmful substances that are harmful to pet health or prohibited ingredients, including genetically modified ingredients that have not been approved by the Chinese authorities.

V. Requirements for Production and Processing

(1) Canned pet food should be processed using a heat treatment method with an F0 value of not less than 3.0.

(2) Non-canned processed pet food should be subjected to a heat treatment of 90°C or above, or other equivalent methods approved by the Serbian side and recognized by the Chinese side.

VI. Requirements for Packaging, Labeling, Storage and Transportation

(1) Pet food exported to China must be packed in new, clean, well-sealed, moisture-resistant packaging materials that are not easily damaged.

(2) Chinese labels must be added to the packaging of pet food exported to China, and the labels must comply with the requirements of China’s “Pet Food Labeling Regulations”. The outer packaging must indicate the name of the production and processing enterprise and its registration number, and the Chinese characters “Shipped to the People’s Republic of China” and “Not for Human Consumption” or “Only for Pet Consumption” must be labeled.

(3) Effective measures have been taken to avoid contamination during the production, storage, and transportation of pet food exported to China.

7. Product Requirements

(1) Pet food exported to China must comply with relevant regulations for the management of animal epidemics in China.

(2) Before exporting pet food to China, 5 random samples must be taken from each production batch for testing, and the test results must meet the following requirements:

1. Canned pet food meets commercial aseptic requirements;

2. Non-canned pet food processed meets the following requirements:

Salmonella: n=5, c=0, m=0, M=0 per 25g;

Enterobacteriaceae: n=5, c=2, m=10CFU/g, M=300CFU/g per 1g.

where:

n = number of samples tested;

c = number of samples with bacterial counts between m and M. If the bacterial count for other samples is m or less, the sample is still considered acceptable;

m = bacterial count threshold. If the bacterial count for all samples is not more than m, the result is considered acceptable;

M = maximum bacterial count. If the bacterial count for one or more samples is M or more, the result is considered unacceptable.

(3) Pet food imported to China must not carry prohibited items as stipulated by Chinese laws and regulations, must not contain toxic or harmful substances that harm animal health, and must comply with relevant safety and health standards in China and Serbia.

8. Inspection and certification requirements before export

The imported pet food should be inspected and quarantined by the Serbian side and a health certificate should be issued to prove that the product meets the requirements of the relevant agreement between the two sides. Each batch of pet food must be accompanied by a health certificate written in Chinese, Serbian, and English, with one original and two copies.

The health certificate sample has been confirmed by both China and Serbia. If the Serbian side wants to change the certificate style, it should notify the Chinese side at least one month in advance.

9. Import quarantine approval

In addition to the products that have cancelled quarantine approval, import companies should apply for the “Import Permit for Animal and Plant Quarantine” in accordance with relevant regulations before signing the trade contract.

10. Import inspection and quarantine

When pet food imported to China arrives at the port of entry, Chinese customs implement quarantine according to the following requirements:

(1) Certificate and document verification:

1. Verify whether the “Import Permit for Animal and Plant Quarantine” is attached (excluding products that have cancelled quarantine approval).

2. Verify whether it comes from a registered enterprise.

3. Verify the authenticity and validity of the health certificate.

(2) Goods inspection:

Chinese customs implement inspection and quarantine of Serbian pet food imported to China in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, and rules, combined with the requirements of this announcement. Goods that pass the inspection and quarantine are allowed to enter China.

(3) Handling of non-conforming situations.

1. If there is no valid health certificate, the product shall be returned or destroyed.

2. Products from non-registered Serbian manufacturers shall be returned or destroyed.

3. If unapproved animal-derived ingredients are found, the product shall be returned or destroyed.

4. If unapproved genetically modified ingredients are found, the product shall be returned or destroyed.

5. If soil, animal carcasses, animal excrement, or quarantine pests are found and effective quarantine measures cannot be taken, the product shall be returned or destroyed.

6. If the label does not meet the standards and cannot be corrected, the product shall be returned or destroyed.

7. If safety and hygiene items do not meet Chinese feed hygiene standards, the product shall be eliminated, returned, or destroyed.

8. If loose packaging or broken containers are found, the shipper or agent is responsible for repackaging. If the packaging is damaged and poses a risk of spreading plant or animal diseases, the contaminated area, items, and utensils should be quarantined.

If significant safety and hygiene issues are discovered, the Chinese side will notify the Serbian side and take measures such as strengthening inspection and quarantine, canceling registration of overseas manufacturers, and suspending the issuance of health certificates by Serbia.

Source: General Administration of Customs

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