Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for Aquaculture Products from Greece to China
I. Inspection and quarantine basis
(I) "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" and its implementing regulations, "Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine" and its implementing regulations, "Law of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Commodity Inspection" and its implementing regulations.
(II) "Measures for the Administration of Safety of Import and Export Food of the People's Republic of China" and "Regulations on the Registration and Administration of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food of the People's Republic of China".
(III) "Protocol on Inspection, Quarantine and Veterinary Health Requirements for Farmed Aquatic Products Exported from Greece to China between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food of the Hellenic Republic".
II. Scope of imported products
Farmed aquatic products refer to aquatic animal products and their products, algae and other marine plant products and their products that are artificially cultivated for human consumption, excluding species listed in the appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the list of key protected wild animals in China, live aquatic animals and aquatic animal and plant propagation materials. See the attachment for the catalog of newly added farmed aquatic products in Greece.
III. Requirements for production enterprises
Production enterprises (including processing enterprises and independent cold storage) and farms that export farmed aquatic products to China shall be approved by the Greek authorities and be effectively supervised by them. The sanitary conditions of production enterprises shall comply with the requirements of relevant veterinary and public health regulations of China, Greece and the European Union.
According to 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 Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine and its implementing regulations, production enterprises that export farmed aquatic products to China shall be recommended by the Greek Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food to the Chinese Customs for registration. Without registration, they shall not be exported to China.
IV. Requirements for imported products
The Greek Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food shall ensure that farmed aquatic products exported to China meet the following conditions:
(i) Farmed in Greek waters.
(ii) The raw materials and products do not have the following problems:
1. Aquatic animal diseases listed in the List of Diseases for Entry Animal Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "Disease List") and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) that must be reported and related to the products of the Protocol have occurred in Greece, causing farmed aquatic products exported to China to be or may be infected;
2. Any major food safety incidents in Greece have affected or may affect farmed aquatic products exported to China;
3. Farmed aquatic products exported or to be exported from Greece to China have seriously violated the laws and regulations of China, Greece and the EU and the provisions of the Protocol;
4. Major public health incidents occurred in production enterprises, such as employees infected with major infectious diseases, which have contaminated or may contaminate farmed aquatic products exported to China and their packaging and transportation vehicles;
5. The breeding area is affected by pollutants, such as radioactive pollutants, which have contaminated or may contaminate farmed aquatic products exported to China.
(III) No drugs or additives banned by China, Greece and the EU are used directly or indirectly (such as adding to feed), and drugs or additives restricted or permitted by China are used in accordance with regulations; after inspection by the competent authorities, no pathogenic microorganisms, toxic and harmful substances and foreign matter listed in the laws and regulations of China, Greece and the EU are found.
(IV) All farmed aquatic products exported to China have been quarantined and inspected by the competent authorities and are hygienic, safe and suitable for human consumption. No pathological signs of infectious and parasitic diseases have been found, and no aquatic animal diseases listed in the Disease List and required to be reported by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) have been found.
(V) The entire process of breeding, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, transit and export shall comply with the relevant hygiene requirements and traceability requirements of both parties, and at the same time meet the relevant safety and hygiene requirements of the cold chain.
V. Certificate requirements
Each container of farmed aquatic products exported from Greece to China shall be accompanied by at least one original veterinary (health) certificate to prove that the batch of products complies with the veterinary and public health laws and regulations of China, Greece and the European Union and the relevant provisions of the Protocol. The Greek Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food shall fully fill in the information of the production enterprises involved in the entire process of breeding, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, transit and export on the veterinary (health) certificate, including the name and registration number of the farm, processing plant and independent cold storage, and shall not omit the information of the production enterprises involved in any of the above links.
The certificate shall be printed in at least Chinese, English and Greek (English is the mandatory language when filling in the certificate). The format and content of the certificate shall be approved by both parties in advance. The Greek Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food shall promptly provide the certificate sample, the official seal of the issuing agency and the handwriting of the signing official to the Chinese Customs for record. If there is any change, it shall be recorded with the Chinese Customs at least one month before it takes effect.
VI. Packaging and labeling requirements
Greek farmed aquatic products exported to China shall have outer packaging and separate inner packaging. The inner and outer packaging shall be new materials that meet international health standards and meet the requirements of preventing contamination by external factors.
The inner and outer packaging shall be affixed with Chinese and English labels, including: product name and scientific name, specifications, production date, shelf life, batch number, storage conditions, production method (farming), country of origin, name and number of the manufacturer, production area and address of the manufacturer (specific to the state/province/city), and destination (marked as the People's Republic of China).
For farmed aquatic products exported to China in pre-packaged form, the pre-packaged Chinese label shall comply with the Chinese import pre-packaged food label requirements.
VII. Other requirements
China Customs implements inspection and quarantine on imported farmed aquatic products.
For unqualified products, they will be returned, destroyed or otherwise handled in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations. For manufacturers with serious problems or repeated unqualified problems, Chinese customs will take measures such as strengthening inspection and quarantine or suspending imports.
GACC
Mar. 19, 2025
