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Phytosanitary Requirements for Bulgarian Tobacco Leaves Exported to China (General Administration of Customs,the People's Republic of China -Notification No. 21, 2021)

Issue Date：2021-09-14 Views：1

General Administration of Customs, the People's Republic of China

Notification

 

No. 21, 2021

 

According to China’s relevant laws and regulations and theProtocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Bulgarian Tobacco Leaves Exported to Chinabetween the General Administration of Customs, the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of the Republic of Bulgaria, Bulgarian tobacco leaves that meets the relevant requirements shall be allowed to be imported as of the date of promulgation of this Notification. The phytosanitary requirements for importedBulgarian tobacco leaves are hereby promulgated (see theappendix).

Hereby notify.

 

Appendix: Phytosanitary Requirements for ImportedBulgarian Tobacco Leaves

 

 

                    General Administration of Customs

                      March 3, 2021   

 

 

Appendix 

Phytosanitary Requirements for Bulgarian Tobacco Leaves Exported to China

I.Basis of Inspection and Quarantine

(I) Quarantine Law of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animals and Plants；Implementing Regulations of Quarantine Law of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animals and Plants；

(II)Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Bulgarian Tobacco Leaves Exported to Chinabetween the General Administration of Customs, the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of the Republic of Bulgaria.

II.Name of Import Allowed Products

Flue-cured tobacco leaves (hereinafter referred to as “tobacco leaves”) are made by concocting, threshingand re-drying. Itsbiological name is Nicotiana Tabacum, and the English name is Tobacco leaves.

III.Permitted Place of Origin

Bulgarian tobacco-producing areas.

IV. List of Concerned Quarantine Pests

1. Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina

2. Sorghum halepense

3. Orobanche L.

V. Requirements before Exit

(I) Field Management

1. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry of the Republic of Bulgaria, shall implement preventive measures against Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina in the seedbeds, investigate and supervisie Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina from transplant to harvest, and ensure thattobacco leaves exported to China are free of Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina. If it is confirmed to be Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina, effective control measures should be taken to reduce the impact of the disease. If the Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacinaoospores are found, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency shall immediately notify the General Administration of Customs and suspend the tobacco leaves from the relevant production areas being exported to China.

2. The tobacco leaves exported to China shall conform to the relevant provisions and requirements of China, and shall not use the pesticide varieties prohibited by China. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency shall supervise the use of pesticides in tobacco-producing areas, and shall, in accordance with the residue guidelines provided by the Agricultural Advisory Committee of Cooperation Centre for Scientific Research Relative to Tobacco (ORESTA), guide tobacco growers in the rational and scientific use of pesticides. All pesticides used should be officially registered.

  1. At the request of the General Administration of Customs, the Bulgarian Food Safety Bureau shall provide the General Administration of Customs with records of peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina surveillance and control measures of the year, as well as a list of the pesticides used and the usage information.

(II) Process Management

The planting, harvesting, processing and storage and transportation of tobacco leaves exported to China shall be carried out under the supervision of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency to ensure that there are no quarantine pests, plant residues and soilthat China concerns and that the tobacco leaves are not mixed with those from other countries.

If live insects such as the Lasioderma serricome are found, fumigation measures shall be taken against the cargo.

If hybrid seeds such as the Sorghum halepense and Orobanche L. are found, effective clearance measures shall be taken.

(III) PackagingRequirements

  1. The tobacco leaves exported to Chinashall be packaged in special packaging cases to maintain the integrity of the cargo. The package is marked with the following information: type, grade, place of origin, year of harvest, processing plant, batch number and contract number of tobacco leaves.

2. The packaging materials of tobacco leaves shall be clean and hygienic, and conform to the requirements of China’s plant quarantine.

3. Containers of tobacco leaves shall be clean, hygienicand free from soil and other exogenous substances.

(IV) Inspection and Quarantine before Exportation and Pre-inspection at the Place of Origin

  1. The Bulgaria Food Safety Agency shall, before exportation, carry out quarantine inspection on tobacco leaves exported to Chinato ensure that there are no quarantine pests that China concerns.
  2. The Bulgaria Food Safety Agency shall test pesticide and heavy metal residues. If heavy metals and pesticide residues exceed the standard, they shall not be exported to China.
  3. With the cooperation of the Bulgaria Food Safety Agency, the General Administration of Customs shall go to Bulgaria to carry out pre-inspection of the tobacco leaves exported to China. Trade contracts can be signed only if the tobacco leaves pass the pre-inspection and are allowed to be exported to China.

If peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina oospores are found, the relevant cargo and/or tobacco leaves from specific producing areas shall be immediately suspended from being exported to China. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency shall conduct an investigation, propose and take effective measures for improvement measures based on the reasons identified, and provide relevant information to the General Administration of Customs.

(V) Requirements for Phytosanitary Certificates

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agencyshall issue a phytosanitary certificate for tobacco leaves qualified for inspection and quarantine and fill in the following additional declaration: “THIS BATCH OF TOBACCO LEAVES COMPLIES WITH THE PROTOCOL OF PHYTOSANITARY REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPORT OF TOBACCO LEAVES FROM BULGARIA TO CHINA. IT IS FREE of ANY QUARANTINE PESTS CONCERNED TO CHINA.”

VI. Entry Inspection and Quarantine andNon-compliance Treatment

Upon arrival at the entry port in China, the customs shall carry out inspection and quarantine in accordance with the following requirements.

(I) Verification of Relevant Certificates and Marks

1. Verify whether the imported tobacco leaves have obtained the Quarantine Permit for Animals and Plants Entry into the People’s Republic of China.

2. Verify whether the phytosanitary certificate conforms to the provisions of paragraph (V) of Article V.

3. Verify whether the packaging conforms to the provisions of paragraph (III) of Article I.

4. Verify the conformity of certificate with cargo, and whether the tobacco leaves have been pre-inspected.

(II) Entry Inspection and Quarantine

It shall carry out inspection and quarantine on imported tobacco leaves in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations and rules, etc. Those who pass the inspection and quarantine are allowed to enter the country.

(Ⅲ) Non-compliance Treatment

  1. If Peronospora hyoscyami f.sp. tabacina oospores or active sporangium or hyphaare found, the batch of tobacco leaves shall be returned or destroyed, and the General Administration of Customs shall immediately suspend the import of tobacco from Bulgaria or related exporters.
  2. If heavy metal and pesticide residues are found to exceed the limit, the batch of tobacco leaves shall be returned or destroyed.
  3. Both parties shall conduct joint investigations to propose and take effective improvement measures according to the reasons identified.
  4. If other quarantine pests are found that China concerns, tobacco leaves shall be processed in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Quarantine Law of the People’s Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animals and Plants and its implementing regulations.

VII. Retrospective Review

(I) As required, and in consultation with the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, the General Administration of Customs shall send quarantine officers to Bulgaria for retrospective on-the-spotinspection.

(II) The General Administration of Customs shall carry out further risk assessment based on occurrence and seizure of the tobacco epidemic of Bulgarian tobacco leaves, and discuss with the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency to reconfirm the quarantine pests and the corresponding quarantine measures.

 

(All information in this document is authentic in Chinese. English is provided for reference only. In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.)