In accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of the mainland, as well as the regulations of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Biosecurity Bureau of the Republic of Vanuatu on the inspection, quarantine and health requirements of beef imported from Vanuatu from China, the import of Vanuatu beef that meets the relevant requirements is allowed from now on.
1. Basis for inspection and quarantine
(1) Laws and regulations.
The Food Safety Law of People's Republic of China and its implementing regulations, the Law on the Quarantine of Animals and Plants Entering and Leaving the People's Republic of China and its implementing regulations, the Law on the Inspection of Import and Export Commodities in People's Republic of China and its implementing regulations, the Special Provisions of the State Council on Strengthening the Safety Supervision and Administration of Food and Other Products, as well as the Measures for the Administration of Food Safety in People's Republic of China Import and Export, and the Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Production Enterprises of People's Republic of China Imported Food, etc.
(ii) Bilateral protocols.
Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Biosecurity Agency of the Republic of Vanuatu on Inspection, Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for Beef Imported from Vanuatu by China (hereinafter referred to as the Protocol).
2. Imported products are allowed
Beef allowed to be imported refers to frozen deboned beef under 12 months of age (skeletal muscles (including fat attached to muscles) after slaughter and bloodletting and removal of hair, internal organs, head and tail, and limbs (below the wrists and joints)).
Visceral fat, leftovers (minced fat, minced meat, minced bones), minced meat, ground meat, mechanically separated meat and by-products are not allowed to be exported to China. The intestine (from the duodenum to the rectum, including the terminal ileum), the thymus, spleen, tonsils, skull including the brain, eyes, and trigeminal ganglia, and the spinal cord and spine including the dorsal root ganglia must be removed.
3. Requirements of production enterprises
Beef enterprises (including slaughtering, cutting, processing and storage enterprises) shall comply with the requirements of the relevant veterinary health and public health laws and regulations of China and Vanuatu under the supervision of the Biosecurity Authority of the Republic of Vanuatu (hereinafter referred to as Vanuatu).
Beef enterprises exporting to China shall be registered with the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Chinese side), and the products produced by the enterprises approved for registration may be exported to China after the date of registration. Unregistered meat businesses are not allowed to export beef to China.
Fourth, inspection and quarantine requirements
(1) Management of animal diseases.
1. Vanuatu is free of foot-and-mouth disease, bluetongue, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, bovine nodular skin disease, bovine transmissible pleuropneumonia, rinderpest and peste des petits ruminants.
2. In accordance with the requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), Vanuatu implements surveillance for foot-and-mouth disease, bluetongue, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, bovine nodular skin disease, bovine infectious pleuropneumonia, rinderpest and peste des petits ruminants.
3. In accordance with the provisions of WOAH, the Watt Department implements measures such as feed bans and special risk substances (SRMs) control, and establishes an effective traceability system for bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
(2) The conditions that must be met for slaughtering live cattle.
1. Born, bred and slaughtered in Vanuatu with a unique identifier traced back to the farm/place where the cattle were slaughtered through an effective traceability system in Vanuatu.
2. From farms/sites that have not had Rift Valley fever, vesicular stomatitis, brucellosis, bovine tuberculosis, paratuberculosis, Q fever, anthrax, bovine viral diarrhea/mucosal disease, pasteurellosis, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis, leptospirosis, bovine genital campylobacter and bovine leukemia within 12 months prior to slaughter, and have not had leptospirosis, Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma congori, Trypanosoma simianosa and Trypanosoma vivaginosa infections in the past 6 months.
3. From sites that have not been subject to quarantine restrictions or surveillance due to the outbreak of diseases listed in China, Vanuatu Animal Health Regulations and WOAH in the 6 months prior to slaughter.
4. Have not been vaccinated against live anthrax for at least 14 days prior to slaughter and have not been vaccinated against bovine nodular skin disease within 60 days.
5. Never fed ruminant-derived meat and bone meal and oil residue.
6. In the slaughterhouse and during transportation to the slaughterhouse, there is no contact with cattle that do not meet the requirements of the Protocol, cattle and other animals that are not registered in China.
(3) Processing process requirements.
1. Slaughtering live cattle for beef export to China:
(1) Less than 12 months of age at slaughter.
(2) Veterinary drugs and feed additives that are jointly or separately prohibited by both parties have never been used.
(3) Slaughtering, segmentation, processing and storage of enterprises registered in the Chinese side.
(4) In accordance with the relevant laws and regulations of China and Vanuatu, the cattle used to produce beef exported to China shall be inspected before and after slaughter, and the results shall be qualified. It is proved that all slaughtered cattle are healthy, without any clinical signs of infectious diseases and parasitic diseases, no pathological changes in the carcass and organs, and the main lymphatic (including but not limited to prescapular, axillary, inguinal, popliteal fossa) and glandular tissues on the carcass have been removed.
(5) The stun method of injecting compressed air or gas into the cranial cavity or the cerebrospinal stab method was not used before slaughter.
(6) The intestines of cattle of all ages (from duodenum to rectum, including the end of the ileum), thymus, spleen, tonsils, skull including brain, eye, trigeminal ganglia, spinal cord, spine including dorsal root ganglia, etc., are effectively removed in a safe and hygienic way during production and processing, and are not contaminated to export beef to China.
2. Beef exported to China shall be subject to the Vanuatu National Residue Monitoring Program, which certifies that the residues/limits of veterinary drugs, pesticides, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and other toxic and harmful substances in the products do not exceed the maximum residue limits stipulated by the laws, regulations and international standards of China and Vanuatu.
3. The beef exported to China is not contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms and meets the requirements of the laws and regulations of China and Vanuatu.
4. Beef exported to China shall not be processed together with other types of animal products, products of animals that do not comply with the provisions of the Protocol, products of non-registered enterprises and products not exported to China.
5. During the epidemic period of major public health epidemics, enterprises shall formulate necessary meat safety prevention and control measures in accordance with relevant international regulations and standards to ensure that meat is not cross-contaminated in the whole process of raw material receiving, processing, packaging, storage and transportation.
6. The product is hygienic, safe and suitable for human consumption.
(4) Storage requirements.
In the cold storage or cold storage where beef is stored, there should be a special area for storing beef exported to China and clearly marked.
5. Certificate requirements
Each container of beef exported to China should be accompanied by at least one official original veterinary health certificate, which certifies that the batch of products complies with the veterinary and public health laws and regulations of China and Vanuatu and the relevant provisions of the Protocol.
The veterinary health certificate should be written in Chinese or English (English is required when filling in the contents of the certificate). The format and content (statement) of the veterinary health certificate must be approved by both parties in advance.
The Vanuatu side shall provide the official inspection and quarantine/control seal and logo, a sample of the health certificate, the list of authorized veterinarians with the corresponding signature, the description of the anti-counterfeiting mark, the name of the email address for sending the electronic certificate or the electronic health certificate system to the Chinese side for filing (if applicable). If the electronic information of the certificate is sent, it shall be sent to the China Customs through the channels designated by the Chinese side within 48 hours after the certificate is issued. If there are any changes or changes, the Chinese side will be notified at least one month in advance.
The Vanuatu side shall send the electronic information of the issued veterinary health certificate to the Chinese side through official channels in a timely manner so that the Chinese side can verify it at the time of import, and the Vanuatu side shall ensure that the electronic information is secure and accurate.
6. Packaging, storage, transportation and labeling requirements
Beef exported to China should be packaged with food contact materials that meet China's national food safety standards and Vanuatu standards. Beef exported to China should have a separate inner packaging, and the inner packaging should be marked in Chinese and English with the product name, country of origin, production enterprise registration number and production batch number. The outer packaging shall indicate the country of origin, product name, specification, place of origin (specific to the state/province/city), production enterprise registration number, production batch number, destination (should be indicated as the People's Republic of China), production date (including year, month, day), shelf life, storage temperature, etc. in Chinese and English, and add the official inspection and quarantine mark of Vanuatu approved by the Chinese side. Pre-packaged beef should also meet the requirements of China's laws, regulations, and standards regarding the labeling of pre-packaged foods.
The whole process of packaging, storage and transportation of beef exported to China should comply with the relevant health requirements of China and Vanuatu to prevent contamination by pathogenic microorganisms and toxic and harmful substances. The storage and transportation of beef should be carried out under the corresponding temperature conditions, and the core temperature of frozen beef should not be higher than minus 15 °C.
Once the goods are loaded into the container, they are sealed before shipment under the supervision of the official Vanuatu veterinarian, and the seal number must be indicated in the veterinary health certificate. The packaging shall not be opened or changed during transportation.
The announcement is hereby made.
Customs
July 22, 2024
Announcement download link:
Announcement of the General Administration of Customs on the Inspection, Quarantine and Hygiene Requirements for Imported Vanuatu Beef.doc
Please indicate the source of the reprint: "Customs Release"
Executive Producer / Tao Yong
Reviewer / Bao Yinghui, Kang Yue
Editor/ Dai Jun
Art Editor / Wei Hao
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