According to the relevant laws and regulations of China and the provisions of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Poland on the quarantine and sanitary requirements for the export of pet food from Poland to China, the import of pet food from Poland that meets the relevant requirements is allowed from the date of issuance of this Announcement.
I. Inspection and Quarantine Basis
(I) Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China;
(II) Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its Regulations for the Implementation
(III) Supervision and Management Measures for the Inspection and Quarantine of Import and Export Feed and Feed Additives;
(IV) Measures for the Entry and Exit Inspection and Quarantine of Genetically Modified Products;
(V) Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland on Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for the Export of Pet Food from Poland to China.
II. Permitted Range of Imported Commodities
Pet food in this Announcement refers to products directly consumed by pets after industrial processing and production, including dry pet food, canned pet food, pet snacks and pet chews.
III. Requirements on Manufacturers
Production and processing enterprises which export pet food from Poland to China shall implement a health management system based on the principle of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP). They shall be approved by the official competent authority of Poland (hereinafter referred to as "Poland"), subject to its supervision and inspection. The products shall meet relevant requirements of Poland and are allowed to be sold freely in the domestic market of Poland.
The production and processing enterprises which export pet food from Poland to China shall be recommended by Poland to the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "China"), and can export pet food to China only after being registered by China.
IV. Requirements for Raw Materials
(I) Raw materials of terrestrial animal origin only come from Poland and are slaughtered in officially approved slaughterhouses. After ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection, there are no symptoms of infectious diseases. Animals slaughtered for eradication of epidemics or dead animals were not used as raw materials. If the raw materials come from a country other than Poland, they must come from a country which already got approval from China on import of these raw materials.
(II) Raw materials of terrestrial animal origin come from non-epidemic areas that conform to the provisions of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) and are recognized by China. Such epidemics include: bovine spongiform encephalopathy, foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever, African swine fever, swine vesicular disease, highly pathogenic avian influenza and Newcastle disease;
(III)Aquatic raw materials are derived from fish or other marine animals (except marine mammals) and fish by-products (except intestines and gills) after human consumption of fish products.
(IV) Plant-derived raw materials do not contain toxic or harmful substances that endanger pet health or prohibited ingredients, including genetically modified ingredients that have not been officially approved by the People's Republic of China.
V. Requirements for Production and Processing
(I) Canned pet food shall be treated with a heat treatment method with Fo value not less than 3.0.
(II) Non-canned processed pet food shall be subject to heat treatment above 90°C, or other equivalent methods approved by Poland and recognized by China.
VI. Requirements for Packaging, Labeling, Storage and Transportation
(I) Pet food exported to China must be packaged with brand-new, clean, sealed and moisture-proof packaging materials that are not easy to break.
(II) Packages of pet food exported to China shall be labeled in Chinese, and the labels shall meet the requirements of the Provisions on the Labeling of Pet Foods in China (issued by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China [2018] No. 20 Announcement). The outer package must be marked with the name and registration number of the production/processing enterprise, as well as the Chinese version of "Exported to the People's Republic of China" and "Not for Human Consumption" or "For Pet Food Only".
(III) Effective measures are taken to avoid pollution during the production, storage and transportation of pet food exported to China.
VII. Product Requirements
(I) Pet food exported to China shall comply with the relevant provisions of China on animal epidemic management.
(II) Before the export of pet food to China, 5 samples shall be randomly selected for testing according to the production batch, and the test results shall meet the following requirements:
1. Canned pet food meets the requirements of commercial sterility;
2. Non-canned processed pet food meets the following requirements:
Salmonella: none in 25 g: n=5, c=0, m=0, M=0;
Enterobacteriaceae: n=5, c=2, m=10 CFU/g, M=300 CFU/g in 1 g.
Wherein:
n = number of samples tested;
c = number of samples with bacteria between m and M. If the number of bacteria in other samples is m or less, this sample shall still be considered acceptable;
m = threshold for the number of bacteria; a satisfactory result is obtained if the number of bacteria in all samples does not exceed m;
M = maximum number of bacteria; if the number of bacteria in a single sample or multiple samples is M or more, the result will be deemed unsatisfactory.
(III) Pet food exported to China shall not carry prohibited items stipulated by Chinese laws and regulations, shall not contain toxic and harmful substances that endanger animal health, and shall comply with the relevant safety and hygiene standards of China and Poland.
VIII. Pre-export Inspection and Certification Requirements
Pet food exported to China shall be inspected and quarantined by Poland, and a health certificate shall be issued to prove that the products meet the requirements of the Protocol between China and Poland. Each consignment of pet food must be accompanied by a health certificate in Chinese, Polish and English, one original and two copies.
The template of the health certificate must be confirmed by both China and Poland. If Poland intends to change the format of the certificate, it shall notify China at least one month in advance.
IX. Entry Quarantine Approval
Except for the products whose quarantine approval has been canceled, import enterprises shall handle the Quarantine License of the People's Republic of China for Imported Animals and Plants in accordance with relevant regulations before signing trade contracts.
X. Entry Inspection and Quarantine
When pet food exported to China arrives at the port of entry in China, the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China shall carry out quarantine according to the following requirements.
(I) Document verification.
1. Check whether the Quarantine License of the People's Republic of China for Imported Animals and Plants is attached (except for the products whose quarantine approval has been canceled).
2. Check whether the products come from a registered enterprise.
3. Check whether the health certificate is truthful and valid.
(II) Inspection of goods.
The General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China shall carry out inspection and quarantine on pet food exported from Poland to China in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations and rules and based on the requirements of this Announcement. Those products that have passed the inspection and quarantine shall be allowed to enter China.
(III) Handling of nonconformities.
1. Those products without valid health certificates shall be returned or destroyed.
2. Products from unregistered manufacturers in Poland shall be returned or destroyed.
3. If unapproved animal-derived ingredients are detected, the products shall be returned or destroyed.
4. If genetically modified ingredients that have not been officially approved by the People's Republic of China are detected, the products shall be returned or destroyed.
5. If soil, animal carcasses, animal excrement and quarantine pests are found and cannot be effectively quarantined, they shall be returned or destroyed.
6. If the labels do not meet the standard and cannot be corrected, the products shall be returned or destroyed.
7. If it is found that the safety and hygiene items do not meet the feed hygiene standards of the People's Republic of China after testing, the products shall be disinfected, returned or destroyed.
8. If loose packaging or broken containers are found, the owner or agent of the consignment shall be responsible for sorting them out. If packaging is damaged and there is a risk of spreading animal or plant epidemics, quarantine treatment shall be carried out on the contaminated sites, articles and appliances.
If major safety and health problems are found, China will notify Poland, and take measures such as strengthening inspection and quarantine, canceling the registration of overseas manufacturers, and requiring Poland to suspend the issuance of health certificates on its own initiative.
It is hereby announced.
General Administration of Customs
June 29, 2023
Disclaimer：The above content is translated from Chinese version of this website. The Chinese version shall prevail.