Pet food imported to China must be entered by the quarantine registrant

Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition

Ningbo Customs:

I am a returning international student. In recent years, the domestic pet-related market has great potential, and I intend to set up a startup engaged in importing pet food. I heard that customs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have access requirements for imported pet food, can you explain the relevant policies and procedures to me?

Zhejiang reader Ms. Jiang

Ms. Jiang:

Hello. According to the Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Import and Export Feed and Feed Additives of the General Administration of Customs and the Measures for the Administration of Pet Feed of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, pet food refers to products that have been industrially processed and produced for pet dogs and cats, and can also be called pet feed, including pet compound feed, pet additive premix feed and other pet feed. Therefore, pet food belongs to one of the types of feed in the classification of commodities, and the General Administration of Customs implements a quarantine access system for overseas pet food and a registration system for overseas pet food production enterprises; the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs implements an import registration system for overseas pet food.

●What are the quarantine access procedures and requirements of the Customs?

The first step is to accept the application. The officials of the countries (regions) that intend to export pet food to China shall apply to the General Administration of Customs and provide corresponding information. After receiving the application, the General Administration of Customs conducts a preliminary assessment in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations, technical standards, etc., and if it is considered that the assessment can be initiated, it will issue a risk assessment questionnaire to the country (region) to be exported, and the questionnaire mainly covers the details of the legal and regulatory system of the exporting country (region), animal disease monitoring, product safety and health, etc.

The second step is to organize the assessment. The General Administration of Customs organizes a group of experts to conduct risk assessments on the answer sheets and related technical information provided by the countries (regions) to be exported, and forms an assessment report. During the assessment process, as needed, the agreed country (region) to be exported may be sent to a team of experts to conduct on-site inspections or verification inspections to confirm the authenticity and consistency of relevant information and operations.

The third step is to negotiate inspection and quarantine requirements. According to the assessment results, the two sides consulted on the quarantine and health requirements for pet food exported to China, reached an agreement to determine the inspection and quarantine requirements (including the signing of the inspection and quarantine protocol, memorandum or inspection and quarantine requirements published in the announcement), confirmed the content and format of the relevant certificates, and the country (region) to be exported provided the official visa veterinary officer name, handwriting and other information to the General Administration of Customs. Subsequently, the General Administration of Customs published the "List of Countries (Regions) and Products Allowed to Import Feed (Excluding Feed Raw Materials of Plant Origin)" on the official website.

The fourth step is to register the enterprise. For overseas production enterprises that intend to be exported to China, they must recommend registration to the General Administration of Customs after passing the examination by the competent department of the exporting country (region) in accordance with the requirements. The General Administration of Customs examines the recommended materials and determines whether to conduct spot checks on enterprises applying for registration based on the results of the risk assessment. Enterprises that do not meet the requirements for examination shall not be registered and the reasons shall be notified to the competent department of the exporting country or region.

The fifth step is for the importer to file the record. The Customs implements filing management for feed import enterprises, and enterprises that intend to engage in pet food imports should apply for filing with the customs office where the enterprise is located before the first inspection report.

The sixth step is to apply for a quarantine permit. Before signing the trade contract, the importer shall apply to the customs of the port of import for the "Quarantine Permit for Imported Animals and Plants of the People's Republic of China" for the import of pet food from the registered enterprises in the countries (regions) that have been admitted.

●What are the access procedures and requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs?

According to the Regulations on the Administration of Feed and Feed Additives, the Measures for the Administration of the Registration of Imported Feed and Feed Additives, and the Measures for the Administration of Pet Feed promulgated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, if pet food imported to China falls within the scope of the registration of imported products by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, it is necessary to apply to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs for the Import Registration Certificate of Feed and Feed Additives while obtaining quarantine access from the General Administration of Customs. Individual types of pet food, such as pet snacks and pet bite gum, do not require an import registration certificate.

●Which countries have pet food been allowed to be exported to the Chinese market?

Up to now, a total of 19 countries, including the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Italy, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Spain, Thailand, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan, have been allowed to export finished pet food products or raw materials to China.

(Huang Bin, first-level supervisor of Ningbo Customs Animal and PlantAtion Department, Shu Linjun, Yinzhou Customs, Ningbo Customs, Yinzhou Customs, Sponsored by Huang Bin)