Date of Issue: 12 September 2012
Date of Effect: Immediate
Country: China
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has become aware that that a new decree (Decree 55) has been issued by China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), as part of China’s Food Safety Law. DAFF understands Decree 55 comes into force on 1 October 2012.
Decree 55 requires Australian exporters and agents, as well as Chinese importers, to complete a web-based registration process. Decree 55 covers a wide range of products under the jurisdiction of the AQSIQ Food Safety Bureau, and includes prescribed food commodities such as meat and meat products, aquatic products, egg and egg products, dairy products, bee products, and other non-prescribed foods such as biscuits and beverages.
DAFF understands the registration process is administrative in nature and is the responsibility of relevant commercial parties. The registration form can be completed via the portal. When accessing this portal, at the base of the page, there are detailed instruction manuals for exporter and agents, as well as importers, under the section “User Manual”. Whilst the manuals contain detailed step-by-step instructions as to how to complete the registration process, it is currently only available in the Chinese language; therefore exporters are encouraged to work closely with their importers to provide the required information.
DAFF understands that the portal has the capacity to capture basic information of exporters, agents and importers, including name, address, contact details and the type of food commodity (via a checkbox option). The portal has the capacity to capture multiple importers for each exporter, and does not require the input of consignment specific information. The portal also allows amendments to registered information to accommodate for changes in exporter/agent/importer details, as well as being able to indicate the status of registration applications.
It is unclear at this stage the trade implications if individual registrations are not completed by 1 October 2012. However, exporters are highly recommended to work closely with importers to complete registrations at the earliest opportunity to avoid potential trade disruptions. DAFF will continue to monitor the situation and advise industry of further developments.
Micor will be updated to reflect this information.
The information provided above is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.