Down and feathers refer to the general designation for down and feather that grow on waterfowl. Among them, those with a nominal "down content" of 50% or more are referred to as "down", while those with a nominal "down content" of less than 50% are called "feathers". Common types of down and feathers include goose and duck down. Imported washed down and feathers serve as an important supplement to domestic raw materials and are a crucial component of the down industry supply chain. To safeguard national biosafety, the Customs implement quarantine and supervision measures for entry washed down and feathers in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, including the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its implementing regulations, as well as the Measures for Inspection and Quarantine, Supervision and Administration of Entry-Exit Non-Edible Animal Products.
I. Quarantine Access
Washed down and feather products fall under the category of non-edible animal products. The General Administration of Customs (GACC) enforces a quarantine access system for entry of non-edible animal products, encompassing product risk analysis, evaluation and review of regulatory systems, determination of inspection and quarantine requirements, and registration of overseas manufacturers. Additionally, it conducts risk analysis and assesses the regulatory systems of countries or regions exporting non-edible animal products to China for the first time, and performs retrospective reviews of the regulatory systems of those that have previously or are currently exporting to China.
Based on the outcomes of risk analysis, assessment, and review, GACC negotiates with the competent authorities of exporting countries or regions to establish the inspection and quarantine requirements for non-edible animal products exported to China and concludes relevant bilateral agreements or confirms the inspection and quarantine certificates. GACC implements a registration system for foreign enterprises engaged in the production, processing, and storage of washed down and feather products exported to China (hereinafter referred to as "overseas production and processing enterprises").
II. Registration for Overseas Production and Processing Enterprises
Overseas production and processing enterprises exporting washed down and feather products to China must comply with the relevant laws, regulations, and standards of the exporting country or region, as well as meet the requirements of China's relevant laws, regulations, and mandatory standards. They shall be recommended to GACC after passing the examination conducted by the competent authorities of the exporting country or region. Upon receiving the recommendation materials and passing the written review, GACC shall, when necessary and in consultation with the competent authorities of the exporting country or region, assess or conduct a retrospective review of the regulatory system of the exporting country or region. GACC shall also inspect the overseas production and processing enterprises applying for registration and register those that meet the requirements. The list of registered overseas production and processing enterprises is published on the GACC website.
III. Entry Inspection and Quarantine
(I) Document Review
The customs at the port of entry shall review the documents provided by the cargo owner or their agent during the declaration process. The review of quarantine certificates issued by the authorities of the exporting country or region primarily involves: verifying consistency with the sample certificates issued by GACC, confirming the origin from registered overseas enterprises, and assessing whether the descriptions of washing and high-temperature drying processes in the certificate's evaluation meet the product's quarantine risk level requirements.
(II) On-site Quarantine at the Port of Entry
Imported washed down and feathers are subject to inspection and quarantine by customs at the port of entry. This primarily includes checking the consistency between documents and the goods in terms of name, quantity (weight), country or region of origin, shipping marks, and ensuring that the packaging is intact. It also involves verifying whether the goods have been washed, checking for any suspected harmful organisms, signs of mildew, rot, or spoilage, and ensuring there are no prohibited items such as animal excretions, other animal tissues, or blood clots.
(III) Laboratory Test
The Customs conduct turbidity tests on samples of entry washed down and feathers in accordance with the "Down and Feathers" standard (GB/T 17685-2016), and perform laboratory tests for avian influenza and other related animal epidemic diseases based on national biosafety monitoring requirements and turbidity test results.
(IV) Disposal of Non-conforming Goods
1. Items without valid quarantine certificates or originating from unregistered overseas enterprises will be returned or destroyed in accordance with the law.
2. For prohibited entry items discovered during port quarantine inspections, goods that are severely spoiled or deteriorated, or can be directly identified as unprocessed down, and feathers originating from countries or infected areas with avian influenza or Newcastle disease outbreaks, the enterprise will be notified to return or destroy them.
3. If the turbidity laboratory test fails, samples from the batch of down and feathers will be tested for avian influenza. If the test results are positive, the enterprise must be legally notified to return or destroy the batch of goods; if negative, based on the port's circumstances and the enterprise's preference, the batch of goods will be released after undergoing effective fumigation under legal supervision, or it will be transported to a designated feather and down processing facility within the customs jurisdiction for thorough washing before release. The Customs at the port of entry and the location of the designated processing facility should coordinate effectively, ensuring proper supervision of goods transportation through measures such as applying customs locks.
IV. Customs' Recommendations
Import enterprises of washed down and feathers must fulfill their primary responsibility for quality and safety, closely monitor updates on the registration of overseas washed down and feather production and processing enterprises published on GACC's website, and strictly avoid importing washed down and feathers from non-registered enterprises in countries and regions that have completed registration. Simultaneously, they shall enhance control over the source of quality and safety, continually impress upon overseas production and processing enterprises their primary responsibility for quality and safety, and, through trade contracts and other means, urge them to clean and dry down and feathers, thereby improving product quality and safety standards, mitigating quarantine risks, and minimizing losses stemming from epidemics and quality safety issues.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of this website. The Chinese version shall prevail.