China is a global leader in fruit production and holds a significant position in fruit exports. Among these, apples stand out as one of the most representative export varieties, boasting substantial export volumes and extensive international market reach. This article outlines the regulations and procedures for apple exports in accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine, the Administrative Measures for the Inspection, Quarantine, and Supervision of Export Fruits, and other laws and regulations.
I. Declaration Process for Apple Exports
Before fruit export, the owners or their agent shall declare to the customs at the location of the packing facility through the "Single Window" for international trade in compliance with the GACC's declaration requirements, accurately submitting relevant information and uploading supporting documents (scanned copies or other electronic formats).
The following documents must be submitted with the application:
(I) Commercial documents including trade contracts, invoices, and packing lists;
(II) Certificate of origin and supply;
(III) Factory inspection report or product compliance declaration;
(IV) Power of attorney for agent declaration;
(V) Registration certificate;
(VI) Additional documents specified in bilateral agreements, protocols, memoranda, or by the General Administration of Customs.
Upon acceptance of the declaration, customs will conduct inspection and quarantine as necessary.
II. Key Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Apple Exports
The inspection and quarantine process for exported apples is crucial to ensure smooth market access, encompassing three key components: on-site inspection, laboratory testing, and compliance assessment.
(I) On-site inspection.
Verify the consistency between the documents and the goods' name, quantity (weight), production date, batch number, packaging, marks, orchard and packing house name/registration number. Inspect the packaging and storage environment for any signs of pests. Conduct random sampling by unpacking 2% to 5% of the total packages (minimum 5 packages), followed by pest inspection, disease inspection, and other required tests on each fruit. If suspicious pests or diseases are detected, increase the sampling rate to 0.1% to 0.5%.
(II) Laboratory testing.
If the system requires safety supervision sampling for exported fruits, conduct on-site sampling and complete the Customs Sampling Record Form of the People's Republic of China.
Submit randomly selected apples, apples with suspected pest symptoms, insect specimens, and weeds to the laboratory for food safety testing and pest quarantine identification after completing the sample submission/receipt form.
(III) Result evaluation.
Evaluate based on combined findings from on-site inspection and laboratory test results. If the exported apples comply with the inspection and quarantine regulations or requirements for imported fruits in the destination country/region, as well as China's export fruit inspection and quarantine regulations, and pass comprehensive evaluation, electronic ledger data will be generated. The enterprise will receive an electronic ledger reference number, and qualified shipments will be issued inspection and quarantine certificates as required. For shipments failing comprehensive evaluation, electronic ledger data will be generated and inspection certificates issued after successful technical treatment or quarantine disinfection followed by requalification. Shipments that remain non-compliant after technical treatment/quarantine disinfection, or those without effective treatment methods, shall be issued an "Export Goods Rejection Notice" and prohibited from export.
III. Pest Monitoring and Safety Risk Control for Apple Exports
(I) Pest monitoring.
Customs offices overseeing export orchards and packing facilities shall conduct annual pest surveillance per the Invasive Pest Monitoring Program and relevant bilateral agreements/protocols.
(II) Safety risk monitoring.
Export apples shall undergo annual safety risk monitoring as stipulated in the GACC's Safety Risk Monitoring Plan.
IV. Penalty Provisions for Violations
In the comprehensive supervision of apple export inspection and quarantine, to uphold quality and safety standards and regulate production and operation practices, Customs shall impose penalties on non-compliant export orchards and packaging plants in accordance with relevant regulations.
(I) Rectification within a Specified Period and Suspension of Inspection Applications.
If any of the following circumstances occur in export orchards or packaging plants, the customs office shall mandate rectification and suspend inspection applications until compliance is achieved:
(1) Improper use of agricultural chemicals;
(2) Presence of environmental pollution sources in the vicinity;
(3) Unverifiable origin of apples in the packaging plant;
(4) Mixing of apples from different sources without proper isolation or quarantine measures, making differentiation difficult;
(5) Failure to mark required information or apply labels on packaging as prescribed.
(6) The packaging plant's quarantine treatment facilities have significant technical issues;
(7) Customs has detected pests of foreign concern or excessive levels of toxic and hazardous substances;
(8) Quarantine pests or excessive levels of toxic and hazardous substances are detected in the importing country or region.
(II) Revocation of registration eligibility.
Registered outbound fruit orchards and packaging plants will have their registration revoked if any of the following conditions occur:
(1) Failure to meet rectification requirements within the specified timeframe;
(2) Concealing or failing to report quality and safety issues;
(3) Refusal to comply with customs supervision and management;
(4) Failure to reapply for registration as required by regulations.
(III) Imposition of fines.
If relevant entities or individuals violate the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its implementing regulations, the Law of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection and its implementing regulations, or the Food Hygiene Law of the People's Republic of China, the customs office will impose penalties in accordance with applicable regulations. In any of the following circumstances, the customs office shall impose a fine not exceeding RMB 30,000:
(1) Apples from registered orchards or packing facilities are mixed with those from unregistered sources;
(2) Unauthorized use of orchard or packing facility registration numbers;
(3) Forgery or alteration of origin certification documents;
(4) Substitution of apples that have passed inspection and quarantine;
(5) Other violations of these regulations resulting in serious safety, health, or quality incidents.
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of China Inspection and Quarantine Times. The China Inspection and Quarantine Times version shall prevail.
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