Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Export of Aquatic Animal Protein for Feed from Spain to China

According to the regulations of the Chinese Customs and the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding quarantine and sanitary requirements for aquatic animal protein used in feed, effective immediately, products meeting the following requirements are permitted for import.

I. Inspection and Quarantine Basis

(1) The Biosafety Law of the People's Republic of China;

(2) The Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its implementing regulations;

(3) The Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Inspection and Quarantine of Imported and Exported Feed and Feed Additives;

(4) The Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Kingdom of Spain on Quarantine and Sanitary Requirements for the Export of Aquatic Animal Proteins and Oils such as Fishmeal and Fish Oil from Spain to China.

II. Scope of Permitted Imported Products

The scope of products permitted for import under this announcement includes aquatic animal proteins and oils such as fishmeal and fish oil used in feed, as well as animal-derived feeds made from aquatic animals (excluding aquatic mammals) and by-products generated during their processing.

III. Requirements for Manufacturing Enterprises

(1) Implement a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) quality management system or establish a quality management system based on HACCP principles, and formulate and effectively implement product recall and traceability systems;

(2) Under the effective supervision of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, comply with relevant Spanish laws and regulations;

(3) Be recommended by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to Chinese Customs and obtain registration with Chinese Customs; the enterprise registration is valid for 5 years, and an application for a further 5-year extension can be submitted to Chinese Customs 6 months before the expiration date.

IV. Raw Material Requirements

(1) Derived from legally caught wild aquatic animals, farmed aquatic animals (excluding aquatic mammals), or by-products from aquatic product processing plants for human consumption;

(2) Do not use aquatic animals that have died from disease, aquatic animals culled for disease prevention and control, or aquatic animals whose cause of death is unknown;

(3) Do not contain any non-aquatic animal-derived ingredients.

V. Production and Processing Requirements

(1) The product must undergo heat treatment at a core temperature of not less than 85ºC for a duration of not less than 15 minutes, or other equivalent processing methods recognized in China;

(2) The production process must not contain any animal-derived ingredients, non-aquatic animal-derived ingredients, or prohibited substances that are forbidden by relevant laws and regulations in China and Spain;

(3) Effective measures must be taken during and after the production process to prevent contamination.

VI. Safety and Hygiene Requirements

(1) The product is permitted to be freely sold within Spain;

(2) The product does not contain any toxic or harmful substances that endanger animal health and complies with China's feed safety and hygiene standards;

(3) For the export of aquatic animal proteins and fats such as fishmeal and fish oil to China from countries or regions whose risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is negligible and not recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the product must be tested for ruminant-derived components using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or other methods recognized by China by a laboratory accredited by the relevant official authority, and the result must be negative (the detection limit for ruminant DNA in exported products is 0.1%);

(4) Before export, the product must be randomly sampled and tested by the Spanish official authority, and the results must meet the following requirements:

1. Salmonella: Not detected in 25 grams of product: n=5, c=0, m=0, M=0;

2. Enterobacteriaceae: No more than 300 per gram of sample: n=5, c=2, m=10, M=300;

Where:

n – Number of samples tested;

m – Minimum bacterial count (threshold); if the bacterial count in all samples does not exceed m, the result is acceptable;

M – Maximum bacterial count; if one or more samples have a bacterial count equal to or greater than M, the result is unacceptable;

c – Number of samples with bacterial counts between m and M; if the bacterial count in other samples is less than or equal to m, the result is still considered acceptable.

VII. Packaging, Labeling, and Storage & Transportation Requirements

(1) Packaging must be brand new, clean, well-sealed, and not easily damaged;

(2) Labels must be affixed to the outer packaging of the product. Labels should comply with the relevant requirements of Chinese laws, regulations, and national standards for feed labeling, and include warnings such as "非供人类食用" or "仅用作饲料";

(3) Effective measures must be taken during the storage and transportation of the product to avoid contamination.

VIII. Pre-Export Inspection and Certificate Requirements

(1) Products exported to China shall be inspected and quarantined by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and a health certificate shall be issued according to the certificate sample confirmed by both parties, proving that the products comply with the requirements of the Protocol;

(2) Each batch of products exported to China must be accompanied by at least one original official Spanish health certificate.

IX. Import Inspection and Quarantine Requirements

(I) Document Verification.

1. Verify whether the product originates from a registered enterprise;

2. Verify the authenticity and validity of the health certificate.

(II) Cargo Inspection.

Chinese Customs shall conduct inspection and quarantine on products exported from Spain to China in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, rules, etc., and in conjunction with the requirements of this announcement. Products that pass inspection and quarantine shall be allowed entry.

(III) Handling of Non-Compliant Cases.

1. Goods will be returned or destroyed under any of the following circumstances: lack of a valid sanitary certificate; originating from an unregistered Spanish manufacturer; discrepancy between goods and documents; discovery of soil, animal carcasses, animal excrement, or quarantine pests, making effective quarantine treatment impossible; or labeling that does not meet standards and cannot be corrected.

2. Goods found to be non-compliant with Chinese feed hygiene standards will be subject to pest control, return, or destruction.

3. If loose packages or broken containers are found, the owner or agent is responsible for restoring them to their original condition. If the packaging is damaged and poses a risk of spreading animal or plant diseases, the contaminated site, goods, and equipment must be quarantined.

4. For enterprises with serious problems or repeated non-compliance, Chinese Customs will take measures such as strengthened quarantine or suspension of imports.

GACC