Ministry of Agriculture

July 10, 2007

I. Achievements in quality and safety control of agricultural products in China

The Ministry of Agriculture has attached great importance to the quality and safety of agricultural products in recent years. We give top priority to the enforcement of relevant laws and regulations including the Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products in order to improve the quality and safety level of agricultural products. We have carried out the Safe Food Action Plan with encouraging results which have helped to put the quality and safety of agricultural products in China up to a new stage. The quality eligibility rate of vegetables in 37 major cities was 94.3 percent in terms of pesticide residues, the quality eligibility rate of aquatic products in 22 cities was 99.4 percent in terms of Chloramphenicol. Major measures that we have taken are as follows: first is to enhance the capacity building to guarantee quality and safety of agricultural products. We formulated more than 700 national standards and nearly 2,000 industrial standards. We built 323 quality and safety inspection centers at ministerial level and 1,780 quality inspection agencies at provincial, municipality and county level. Second is to strengthen the demonstration of standardized agricultural production. We have established 200 demonstration bases in the country to produce safe agricultural products, 86 integrated demonstration zones for the standardization of agricultural products and 100 demonstration farms for standardized production. 3,500 integrated demonstration zones have been built for standardized production at provincial level. Third is to intensify the control of agricultural inputs. We have carried out three special programs targeted at pesticide residue in crop products, residue of illegal drugs and veterinary drugs in feed and animal products and the drug contamination in aquatic products to effectively bring source contamination under control. Fourth is to reinforce regular surveillance and inspection. Since 2001, MOA has tested 64,000 samples of vegetables, 22,000 samples of animal products and more than 1,500 samples of aquatic products in its regular surveillance program and has obtained more than 1 million valid data.

П. Objectives of quality and safety control of agricultural products in the 11th Five-Year Plan period

During the 11th Five-Year Plan period, in accordance with the requirement and overall arrangement of the State Council to develop modern agriculture and steadily carry forward the building of a new socialist countryside, we shall give top priority to the building of a high-yield, high-quality, high-efficiency, environmentally-friendly and safe agriculture. We shall proceed from the actual requirements to strengthen the whole-chain quality and safety control of agricultural products, to further improve the quality and safety control system, to carry forward safe production of agricultural products in an all-round way, to build consumers' confidence and to promote the sound and rapid growth of agriculture and rural economy. Specific goals include steady improvement of quality and safety of agricultural products; over 96 percent of compliance rate for fresh and alive agricultural products from wholesale markets, large-scale markets of farm produce and chain supermarkets in big and medium-sized cities. The standardization level of agriculture shall be significantly improved, the overall inspection and testing capacity for quality and safety of agricultural products upgraded, capacity for whole-chain surveillance enhanced and capacity for emergency response strengthened.

Ш. Measures of quality and safety control of agricultural products in the 11th Five-Year Plan period

With the overall objectives for quality and safety of agricultural products in the 11th Five Year Plan period as the guideline, efforts will be focused on risk assessment, agricultural standardization, inspection and testing system development, whole-chain regulation, emergency response and science and technology services to ensure quality and safety of agricultural products.

1. Enhancing development of risk assessment system. Priorities will be given to developing a national risk assessment research center for quality and safety of agricultural products, national professional risk assessment laboratories for pesticide residues or veterinary drug residues and designated surveillance spots for major agricultural products and risk assessment of hazardous elements. Development of risk assessment data processing platform will be accelerated and the work mechanism for risk analysis improved.

2. Development of agricultural standardization system. Formulation or revision process of standards will be sped up to gradually form a standard system of agricultural products' quality and safety which is based on national technical regulations and mandatory standards and supported by technical standards, technical requirements and operational rules in production. Work on country-level demonstration counties of agricultural standardization will be expedited. Efforts will be enhanced to develop large-scale production bases, safe environment of production places, standardization of production process, quality control systems, brand-building in product marketing and vertical integration of production and operation.

3. Accelerating development of inspection and testing system. Efforts will be focused on implementing the National Development Plan for Inspection and Testing System of Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, providing necessary instruments and equipment for testing of state-of-the-art agricultural products, agricultural inputs and agroecosystem, strengthening trainings and international exchanges and upgrading testing capacity.

4. Facilitating brand-building in agricultural production. The system of credit management, credit evaluation, credit information release and credit rewards and penalties will be established. A total of 100 famous agricultural products of China will be selected and recommended every year, which will be indicated on their labels. Quality and safety certification management of safe agricultural products, green food and organic agricultural products will be enhanced. GLP certification of pesticides, GMP certification of veterinary drugs, GAP certification of crop and animal farming and HACCP certification in the processing sector will be pushed forward.

5. Capacity-building for whole-chain regulation. Efforts will be made to promote the market access system for quality and safety of agricultural products, facilitate classified packaging of marked agricultural products and establish whole-chain regulation and traceability system. The filing system of agricultural production will be improved to gradually establish a management system of code standards and labeling of agricultural products, which is consistent with both China 's national conditions and international practices.

6. Development of emergency response system. A response system against emergencies in quality and safety of agricultural products will be established at the ministerial-, provincial- and county-level. Efforts will be made to strengthen daily regulation of major products, including vegetables, animal and poultry products and aquatic products, in production bases, wholesale markets and supermarkets, establish and improve major food safety information and data bank and information reporting system, analyze the impact of the hazardous substance on people's health and its possible development tendency and give early warning in a timely manner, forming an integrated rapid response system covering surveillance, forecasting and early warning step by step.

7. Capacity-building in science and technology services. Efforts will be made to research, practice and promote new technology for quality and safety of agricultural products and popularize convenient, efficient, cost-effective and precise testing instruments, equipment and methods for quality and safety of agricultural products. Development of information system of agricultural products' quality and safety will be accelerated to provide related information services to producers, processors, traders and users and enhance capacity in market exploration and application of new technology.

(China Development Gateway July 10, 2007)