Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for the Poultry Meat Exported from Serbia

In accordance with the inspection and quarantine requirements established by China Customs and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Serbia regarding poultry meat exports to China, the import of Serbian poultry meat meeting the relevant requirements is permitted effective immediately.

I. Basis for Inspection and Quarantine

(I) Laws and Regulations.

The *Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China* and its implementing regulations; 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; the *Administrative Measures of the People's Republic of China on the Safety of Import and Export Food*; and the *Administrative Provisions of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China on the Registration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food*, among others.

(II) Bilateral Protocol.

The *Protocol between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia on Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Poultry Meat Exported to China* (hereinafter referred to as the "Protocol").

II. Scope of Products Permitted for Export to China

Serbian poultry meat permitted for export to China refers to edible frozen poultry carcasses (the edible portion of the body remaining after live poultry has been slaughtered and bled, and the feathers, viscera, head, and feet have been removed), as well as cut parts and edible poultry by-products. Edible frozen poultry carcasses include frozen whole chickens (excluding viscera and gastrointestinal organs), frozen chicken meat (whole or in pieces, excluding frozen chicken breasts and frozen chicken legs), frozen chicken breasts, frozen chicken legs, and frozen whole chicken wings and wing parts (wing root, middle wing, two-joint wing, and wing tip). Edible poultry by-products include frozen chicken hearts, frozen chicken livers, frozen chicken gizzards, and frozen chicken feet.

III. Requirements for Production Enterprises

(I) Enterprises producing poultry meat for export to China—including slaughtering, cutting, and storage enterprises (where slaughtering and cutting must be performed by an integrated enterprise)—must be registered with China Customs; poultry meat production enterprises that are not registered are prohibited from exporting poultry meat to China.

(II) The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Serbia shall supervise poultry meat production enterprises intending to export to China, ensuring compliance with the relevant veterinary and public health laws and regulations of both China and Serbia.

(III) Poultry meat production enterprises intending to export to China shall have established a traceability system to ensure that exported poultry meat can be traced back to the farms of origin.

IV. Requirements for Animals of Origin

(I) The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Serbia confirms the absence of outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and Newcastle disease in commercial poultry within its territory, in compliance with the relevant requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) *Terrestrial Animal Health Code*.

(II) The animals must have been hatched, raised, and slaughtered in Serbia, never co-reared with other captive animals, and must be traceable to their farms of origin.

(III) They must originate from farms or premises where, within the 12 months prior to slaughter, there have been no outbreaks of Class II infectious diseases or parasitic diseases—as specified in the *List of Diseases Subject to Entry Animal Quarantine of the People's Republic of China*—that are poultry-related and transmissible via poultry meat.

(IV) They must originate from farms or premises that, within the 6 months prior to slaughter, have not been subject to quarantine restrictions or surveillance due to suspected or confirmed infections of poultry diseases (other than those mentioned in Paragraph III above) listed in the animal health regulations of China and Serbia or by the WOAH.

(V) Veterinary drugs and feed additives prohibited by either party must never have been used.

(VI) The animals must show no clinical signs of infectious disease, and their carcasses and viscera must exhibit no pathological changes; they must pass both ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections.

V. Requirements for Production, Storage, and Transportation

(I) The layout of the processing workshop must ensure the separation of "dirty" and "clean" areas and a logical workflow to prevent cross-contamination.

(II) Cold storage facilities must have a designated area for poultry meat intended for export to China, clearly marked as such. Edible poultry by-products must be packaged separately according to product type.

(III) The entire process—from packaging and storage to transportation—must comply with the relevant sanitary requirements of both China and Serbia to prevent contamination by harmful substances.

(IV) The storage and transportation of poultry meat exported to China must be conducted under appropriate temperature conditions; the core temperature of the product must not exceed -15°C.

(V) After the goods are loaded into containers, seals must be applied under the supervision of the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management prior to transport; the seal numbers must be recorded on the veterinary health certificate. Packaging must not be opened or replaced during transportation.

VI. Product Requirements

(I) Compliance with the Serbian national residue monitoring plan, demonstrating that residue levels of veterinary drugs, pesticides, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs)—such as dioxins, dioxin-like PCBs, non-dioxin-like PCBs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—as well as other toxic or harmful substances, do not exceed the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) stipulated by China and Serbia.

(II) Free from contamination by pathogenic microorganisms and in compliance with the laws and regulations of China and Serbia as well as international standards.

(III) Free from nuclear radiation contamination.

(IV) Safe, hygienic, and fit for human consumption.

VII. Requirements for Packaging, Labeling, and Certification

(I) Packaging must utilize brand-new materials that comply with China’s national food safety standards and international sanitary standards.

(II) Individual inner packaging is required; the inner packaging must bear markings in Chinese and English, or Chinese and Serbian, indicating the product name, country of origin, registration number of the production enterprise, and production batch number.

(III) The outer packaging shall bear markings in Chinese and English, or Chinese and Serbian, indicating the product name, specifications, place of origin (specifying the country/region/city), registration number of the production enterprise, production batch number, destination (specified as the People's Republic of China), production date (including year, month, and day), shelf life, storage temperature, etc., and shall display (via label or printing) the official inspection and quarantine mark.

(IV) Pre-packaged poultry meat products shall also comply with the requirements of Chinese laws, regulations, and standards regarding pre-packaged food labeling.

(V) Each container of poultry meat exported to China shall be accompanied by at least one original official veterinary health certificate.

VIII. Entry Inspection and Quarantine Requirements

(I) Verification of certificates and documents.

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

2. Verify whether the "Permit for Entry of Animals and Plants" has been obtained;

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

(II) Cargo inspection.

China Customs shall conduct inspection and quarantine on poultry meat exported to China in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, and rules, as well as the requirements of this Announcement. Products found to be compliant upon inspection and quarantine shall be permitted entry.

(III) Handling of non-compliant cases.

In the event that non-compliance is detected during entry inspection and quarantine, China Customs shall handle the matter in accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, rules, and the "Protocol."

GACC