To further advance the institutionalization and standardization of customs' quarantine administration for inbound plant propagation materials, the General Administration of Customs (GACC) has integrated and revised the Measures for the Quarantine Administration of Imported Plant Propagation Materials and the Administrative Measures for Isolation Quarantine Nurseries for Imported Plant Propagation Materials. On September 26, 2025, the GACC promulgated the Measures for the Quarantine Administration of Plant Propagation Materials Entering the Territory of the People's Republic of China (Order No. 279 of the General Administration of Customs, hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), which will come into effect on April 1, 2026. To ensure that administrative stakeholders and all sectors of society can fully understand and accurately grasp the background and key provisions of this regulatory revision, the relevant issues are hereby interpreted as follows:
I. Revision Background and Objectives
First, to further enhance the provision of customs legal frameworks. The existing Measures for the Quarantine Administration of Imported Plant Propagation Materials and the Administrative Measures for Isolation Quarantine Nurseries for Imported Plant Propagation Materials were both issued in 1999 and have been in effect for 26 years, playing an important role in ensuring the quarantine safety of plant propagation materials imported into China and maintaining stable trade development. However, with the rapid growth of import trade in plant propagation materials, revisions are urgently required to meet evolving trade needs. Second, to alleviate enterprise burden. In response to the practical challenge of redundant isolation supervision of imported plant propagation materials by multiple government agencies, and to further ease the burden on enterprises, the GACC, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration jointly released the Announcement on Optimizing the Quarantine Supervision of Imported Plant Propagation Materials in November 2024 (hereinafter referred to as Announcement No. 152 of 2024), which clearly delineates and defines the responsibilities of each department for quarantine approval and isolation supervision of imported plant propagation materials. Therefore, it is necessary to further clarify and optimize customs' quarantine supervision requirements for imported plant propagation materials within the relevant regulations. Third, to further ensure the effective implementation of reforms. In recent years, the GACC has introduced multiple facilitation reform measures for imported plant propagation materials, such as abolishing advance registration and implementing online verification of quarantine approval certificates. These measures need to be codified at the regulatory level to formalize the achievements of customs reforms.
II. Principal Issues to Be Addressed
First, legally clarify customs' responsibilities: Announcement No. 152 of 2024 specifies that customs, agricultural and rural affairs departments, and forestry and grassland authorities are each responsible for the isolation supervision of plant propagation materials approved for import under their respective quarantine regimes. The Measures further clarify that customs is solely responsible for the isolation supervision of "plant propagation materials imported through special quarantine approval" (Article XV). To prevent regulatory gaps, port quarantine procedures have been optimized, with further clarification provided for the procedures governing the removal and disposal of imported plant propagation materials requiring isolation supervision after port quarantine (Article XII).
Second, optimize customs supervision measures: Customs clarifies its implementation of risk management for imported plant propagation materials, discontinuing the three-tiered (high, medium, low) risk classification management model that is inconsistent with current regulatory practices (Article III). In line with the provisions of the Biosafety Law of the People's Republic of China concerning designated ports, it is clarified that imported plant propagation materials must enter through ports that meet customs regulatory conditions, thereby aligning with the customs designated supervision site management system (Article V). Pursuant to 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 other laws and regulations, customs further clarifies that it is only responsible for the quarantine approval of plant propagation materials prohibited from entry (i.e., special quarantine approval), while also optimizing and refining the application conditions and review requirements (Chapter II).
Third, institutionalize customs clearance facilitation measures: Management requirements, such as "advance inspection" and "advance registration," which no longer meet the needs of trade development, will be abolished. The "consent transfer letter" requirement will be eliminated, with its review and circulation conducted through electronic systems. It is clarified that customs shall conduct the online verification of quarantine approval certificates issued by agricultural and rural affairs departments and forestry and grassland authorities. Except for special circumstances, introduction entities will not be required to submit paper quarantine approval certificates (Paragraph II of Article X).
(Produced by: Department of Policy and Legal Affairs, Department of Animal and Plant Quarantine)
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