Regarding the Inspection and Quarantine Requirements for the blueberry from Serbia to China
1. Inspection and quarantine basis
(1)‘Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China’;
(2)‘Law of the People's Republic of China on Quarantine of Animals and Plants at Entry and Exit’ and its implementing regulations;
(3)‘Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China’ and its implementing regulations;
(4)‘imported fruit inspection and quarantine supervision and management measures’;
(5)‘General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Serbia Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resources on Serbia's fresh blueberries to China on phytosanitary requirements Protocol.
2. The name of goods allowed to enter the country
Fresh blueberries, scientific name Vaccinium L., English name Blueberry.
3. Permitted places of origin
Blueberry producing areas in Serbia.
4. Approved Orchards and Packing Plants
Orchards, packing plants and cold treatment facilities for blueberries exported to China must be audited and filed with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Resources of the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter referred to as Serbia) and approved for registration by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China). The registration information includes the name, address and registration number for accurate traceability in case the exported goods do not comply with the provisions of this announcement. Every year before the export season, Serbia shall provide China with a list of registrations, which shall be published on China's official website after China's examination and approval.
5. List of quarantine pests of concern to China:
(1)Ceratitis capitata
(2)Ericaphis scammelli
(3)Monilinia vaccinii-corymbosi
(4)Godronia cassandrae
(5)Blueberry leaf mottle virus
(6)Blueberry scorch virus
(7)Blueberry shoestring virus
(8)Tobacco ringspot virus
(9)Tomato ringspot virus
(10)Pseudomonas syringae pv. Syringae
6. Pre-export management
6.1 Orchard management.
6.1.1 The orchards exported to China shall establish a perfect quality management system and traceability system under the supervision of Serbia, implement Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), maintain the sanitary conditions of the orchards, such as no pollution sources affecting the fruit production in the surrounding area, remove fallen and rotten fruits at the time of harvesting, etc., and implement the Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which includes regular monitoring and investigation of pests, physical, chemical or biological control, and agricultural practices and other control measures.
6.1.2 Serbia shall develop management plans for quarantine pests of concern to China and organise and implement orchard monitoring in accordance with the requirements of the International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 6 (ISPM 6). If pests or their corresponding symptoms are found in the monitoring, integrated management measures including chemical, physical or biological control shall be taken. The monitoring and control of pests in orchards exported to China shall be carried out under the supervision and guidance of professional and technical personnel of Serbia, who shall be trained by Serbia or its authorised institutions. For orchards with incomplete prevention and control, Serbia will suspend the eligibility of the orchard for export to China and notify China immediately. Upon request, Serbia shall provide China with survey reports or management records on the pest.
6.1.3 For the Mediterranean fruit fly, Serbia shall establish a monitoring system for the Mediterranean fruit fly, and the orchards exported to China shall be monitored from the flowering to the harvesting period using the sex pheromone Trimedlure as bait and Jackson traps. The density of traps is 1 per 10 ha, and orchards with an area of less than 10 ha must have at least 3 traps installed and inspected every fortnight. Once the solid fly is monitored, effective control is required.
6.1.4 For aphids, fungi, viruses and other quarantine pests that China is concerned about, the orchards exported to China should be monitored under the supervision and guidance of Serbian technicians. The monitoring of pests shall be carried out at least once every fortnight from the flowering period to the harvesting period, focusing on checking whether there is any occurrence on fruits, stems, branches and leaves. If pests or their corresponding symptoms are detected during monitoring, they need to be controlled in a timely manner.
6.1.5 Serbia should ensure that registered orchards are inspected at least 20 days prior to harvest, with a focus on the presence of quarantine pests of concern to China, monitoring and control of orchard pests, and field hygiene. If quarantine pests of concern to China are found, samples should be sent to official laboratories for identification and control measures should be taken immediately. For orchards that are poorly managed and unable to meet the phytosanitary conditions for blueberry exports to China, export eligibility should be suspended for the season.
6.1.6 Pest monitoring and control records shall be kept by orchards exporting to China and made available to China upon request. Prevention and control records shall include information such as the name, active ingredient, date of use and concentration of use of all chemicals used during the growing season.
6.2 Packing plant management.
6.2.1 Processing, packaging, storage and shipment of blueberries to China shall be carried out under the quarantine supervision of Serbia or its authorised officials. Packaging and cold storage facilities need to be maintained in a good state of hygiene, and need to have measures to prevent the recontamination of harmful organisms (e.g., anti-insect nets, etc.).
6.2.2 During the packing process, blueberries for export to China shall be sorted and graded, and defective fruits shall be removed to ensure that they are free from insects, mites, rotten fruits, branches, leaves, roots and soil.
6.2.3 Packed blueberries should be stored immediately and separately to avoid re-infection by harmful organisms.
6.3 Packaging requirements.
6.3.1 Packaging materials should be clean, unused and in line with China's phytosanitary and health requirements. If wooden packaging is used, it should meet the requirements of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures No. 15 (ISPM 15).
6.3.2 Each box must be labelled in Chinese or English with the name of the fruit, country, place of origin, name of the orchard or its registration number, name of the packing house or its registration number and other information. Each box and tray should be marked in Chinese or English ‘Exported to the People's Republic of China’.
6.3.3 Containers of Chinese blueberries need to be inspected at the time of packing to ensure that they are in good hygienic condition. This activity shall be recorded for inspection by Serbia.
6.4 Quarantine treatment requirements.
Blueberries destined for China are subject to cold treatment against the Mediterranean solid fly, which is carried out under the supervision of Serbia or its authorised personnel, in accordance with the operational procedures for cold treatment prior to export or cold treatment in transit. Cold treatment indicator requirements need to fulfil any of the following conditions:
1.11°C or below (pulp temperature) for 14 days or more;
1.67°C or below (pulp temperature) for 16 or more consecutive days;
2.22°C or less (pulp temperature), continuous treatment for 18 days or more.
6.5 Pre-export quarantine.
6.5.1 In the first two years of trade, Serbia or its authorised personnel shall sample each shipment of blueberries to China at the rate of 2 per cent of each shipment. If no phytosanitary problem occurs within two years, the sampling ratio may be reduced to 1 per cent.
6.5.2 If live quarantine pests of concern to China are found, the whole consignment shall not be exported to China. Serbia shall identify the reasons and take improvement measures. Meanwhile, records of seizure shall be kept and made available to China upon request.
6.6 Requirements for phytosanitary certificates.
6.6.1 Quarantine-qualified blueberries, issued by Serbia phytosanitary certificate, indicating the name of the orchard and packing house or registration number, and in the additional statement: ‘This consignment complies with requirements specified in the Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Blueberries from Republic of Serbia to the People's Republic of China, and is free from the quarantine pests of concern to the People's Republic of China. pests of concern to the People's Republic of China.’ 2.
6.6.2 For the implementation of cold treatment of blueberries before export, the temperature, duration and name or code of the treatment facility shall be indicated on the phytosanitary certificate. For the implementation of cold treatment in transit, the phytosanitary certificate should be marked ‘Cold treatment in transit’, and indicate the treatment temperature, duration, container and seal number and other information.
6.6.3 Before the commencement of trade, Serbia shall provide China with a sample of the phytosanitary certificate for confirmation and record.
7. Entry inspection and quarantine and unqualified treatment
When blueberries for export to China arrive at China's ports of entry, Chinese Customs in accordance with the following requirements for the implementation of inspection and quarantine.
7.1 the relevant certificates and labelling verification.
7.1.1 verification of imported blueberries whether to obtain ‘imported animal and plant quarantine permit.
7.1.2 Verify whether the phytosanitary certificate in accordance with the provisions of Article VI (6) of this announcement.
7.1.3 Verify that the packing boxes and trays on the logo in line with the announcement of Article VI (c) of the provisions.
7.2 entry inspection and quarantine.
7.2.1 Blueberry exports to China should be allowed to import fruit from China's ports of entry.
7.2.2 For the export of goods before the implementation of cold treatment, also need to be accompanied by the Serbian signature to confirm the results of the cold treatment report form and fruit temperature probe correction record form; for the implementation of cold treatment of goods in transit, need to be accompanied by cold treatment report, fruit temperature probe correction records.
7.2.3 According to relevant laws, administrative regulations, rules and other provisions of the import of blueberries to implement inspection and quarantine, by the inspection and quarantine, allowed to enter the country.
7.3 unqualified treatment.
7.3.1 If found from the orchards or packaging plants not approved by China, the goods are not allowed to enter the country.
7.3.2 If found in China concerned about the quarantine pests or other quarantine pests occurring in Serbia new living organisms, or found in the soil, plant residues, etc., the goods for the return, destruction or decontamination treatment.
7.3.3 If it is found that the goods do not meet the national standards of food safety in China, the goods shall be returned or destroyed.
7.3.4 If the cold treatment is found to be ineffective, the goods shall be treated with cold treatment on shore (if it is a refrigerated container, it can be carried out in this container), returned or destroyed.
7.3.5 If the above non-conformity is found, China will immediately notify Serbia and suspend the import of blueberries from relevant orchards, packing houses and cold treatment facilities as appropriate. Serbia shall identify the reasons for the non-conformity and take improvement measures to prevent the recurrence of similar situations. China will decide whether to lift the suspension measures based on the results of Serbia's rectification.
GACC
May 8, 2024
Pre-export Cold Treatment Operating Procedures
1. Types of cold treatment facilities
1.1 Pre-export cold treatment may only be carried out in cold rooms approved by Serbia and China.
1.2 Serbia or its authorised officials shall ensure that the cold rooms used by exporters are of an appropriate standard and have refrigeration equipment capable of enabling the fruit to reach and maintain the required temperature.
1.3 Serbia or its authorised officials shall maintain a registration document for cold rooms approved for pre-export cold treatment of fruit destined for China, which shall contain the following information:
(1) Location and construction plan of all facilities, including contact details of the owner/operator;
(2) Dimensions and capacity of the facility;
(3) Type of insulation for walls, floors and ceilings;
(4) Brand, style, type and capacity of refrigeration compressors, evaporators and air circulation systems;
(5) Temperature ranges of equipment, specifications and details of defrost cycle controls and any integrated temperature recording equipment, etc.
1.4 Before the start of the fruit export season, Serbia is required to submit a list of currently registered cold treatment facilities to China.
2. Types of loggers
Serbia shall ensure that the probe and temperature loggers fulfil the following conditions:
(1) Probe temperatures should be between -3.0°C and +3.0°C, accurate to ±0.15°C;
(2) Capable of holding the required number of probes;
(3) Be capable of recording and storing data from the process until it is verified by Serbia;
(4) Capable of recording all probe temperatures at least once per hour with the required accuracy for probe temperatures;
(5) be able to print out the identification of each probe, time and temperature, and indicate the recorder model and cold treatment facility identification number.
3. Temperature probe calibration
Calibration shall be performed in a mixture of crushed ice and distilled water using a standard thermometer approved by Serbia:
(1) Any probe that reads outside of 0°C ± 0.3°C shall be replaced with another probe that meets this standard;
(2) On completion of the process, Serbia or its authorised official shall verify the calibration value of the fruit temperature probe using the calibration method mentioned.
4. Placement of temperature probes
4.1 The fruit on the pallet shall be pre-cooled and loaded into the cold treatment room under the supervision of Serbia or its authorised officer.
4.2 At least two probes shall be used to measure the room temperature at the air outlet and return air outlet respectively, and at least four probes shall be placed to measure the fruit temperature as follows:
(1) One located in the centre of the fruit loaded in the middle of the cold treatment chamber;
(2) One located at the edge of the top layer of the fruit loaded in the middle of the cold treatment chamber;
(3) One located in the centre of the loaded fruit near the return air opening;
(4) One is located at the top of the loaded fruit near the air return opening.
4.3 The placement of the probes and their connection to the loggers shall be done under the supervision and guidance of Serbia or its authorised officials.
4.4 The logger may be activated at any time, but the calculation of the processing time shall not begin until all fruit temperature probes have reached the specified temperature.
4.5 When only the minimum number of probes is used, if any probe fails for more than four consecutive hours, the treatment is invalidated and must be restarted.
5. Review of treatment results
5.1 If the processing record shows that the processing parameters have been met, Serbia or its authorised officials may authorise the end of the processing; if the results of the probe calibration are in accordance with the provisions of Article 3, the processing can be considered to have been successfully completed.
5.2 The probe shall be calibrated before the fruit is removed from the container.
6. Confirmation of processing results
6.1 The printout of the temperature record shows that the required cold treatment has been completed.
6.2 Serbia or its authorised officials must keep these records and statistics until the successful completion of the treatment has been confirmed. Upon request from China, the records shall be made available for review.
6.3 If the treatment fails to achieve the required cold treatment, the logger may be reconnected and the treatment continued if one of the following conditions is met:
(1) Serbia or its authorised official confirms that the conditions required by Article 6 are still met;
(2) The interval between the time of stopping and the time of restarting is within 24 hours.
In both of these cases, data collection may continue from the time the logger is reconnected.
7. Loading Container
(1) Prior to loading, containers shall be inspected by Serbia or its authorised officials to ensure that they are free from pests and that the entrances are screened to prevent the entry of pests.
(2) Fruits shall be packed in buildings with pest-proofing measures, or with pest-proof material connecting the cold room outlet and the container entrance.
8. the container sealing
(1) Containers with fruit shall be sealed with a code seal, the seal number to be specified in the phytosanitary certificate.
(2) The seal can only be opened by the Chinese Customs at the port of entry.
9. Storage of fruit not immediately packed in boxes
Treated fruit which is not immediately boxed may be stored temporarily under the supervision of Serbia or its authorised officials.
(1) If the fruit is stored in a cold treatment room, the door of the cold treatment room shall be closed. 2;
(2) If the fruit is to be transferred to another storage room for storage, the manner of transfer shall be authorised by Serbia and no other fruit shall be stored in that room;
(3) The fruit shall be packed under the supervision of Serbia or its authorised officials in accordance with the provisions of Article VII.
10. Phytosanitary Certificate
(1) The temperature, duration and name of the cold treatment facility or its registration number shall be indicated in the phytosanitary certificate before export.
(2) When the fruits enter the country, the phytosanitary certificate and the report on the results of the cold treatment (with a record of the temperature of the cold treatment confirmed by the signature of Serbia and a record of the correction of the fruit temperature probe) shall be provided to the Chinese Customs.
Cold treatment operation procedure during transport
1. Types of containers
The container shall be a transport container that is self (integrally) refrigerated and has refrigeration equipment capable of achieving and maintaining the required temperature.
2. Type of logger
Serbia or its authorised official shall ensure that the probe and temperature logger meet the following conditions:
(1) Probe temperatures shall be between -3.0°C and +3.0°C, accurate to ±0.15°C;
(2) Have a sufficient number of probes;
(3) Be able to record and store process data;
(4) The ability to record all probe temperatures at least once per hour with the required accuracy for probe temperatures;
(5) Print out the temperature record, must correspond to each probe to record the corresponding time, temperature, and indicate the recorder model and container number.
3. The temperature probe calibration
(1) The calibration shall be carried out in a mixture of crushed ice and distilled water using a standard thermometer approved by Serbia or its authorised officials.
(2) Any probe that reads more than 0°C ± 0.3°C must be replaced.
(3) A ‘Fruit Temperature Probe Correction Record’, signed by Serbia or its authorised officer, shall be issued for each container, the original of which shall be attached to the phytosanitary certificate accompanying the shipment.
(4) When the fruit arrives at the port of entry, the Chinese Customs will be fruit temperature probe calibration check.
4. The temperature probe insertion
4.1 Fruits on the pallet shall be loaded into containers under the supervision of Serbia or its authorised officials, pallets and boxes should be stacked loosely to ensure sufficient airflow clearance.
4.2 At least 3 fruit temperature probes and 2 space temperature probes shall be placed in each container:
(1) No. 1 fruit temperature probe inserted in the container filled with fruit in the first row of the top layer of the central position;
(2) No. 2 fruit temperature probe inserted in the container door 1.5 metres (40-foot container) or 1 metre (20-foot container) from the centre, and in the fruits contained in the height of half the position;
(3) Fruit temperature probe No. 3 is placed on the left side of the container 1.5 metres (for 40-foot containers) or 1 metre (for 20-foot containers) from the door of the container and at half the height of the fruit loaded;
(4) 2 space temperature probes are placed in the air inlet and air outlet of the container.
4.3 All probes shall be placed under the supervision and guidance of Serbia or its authorised officials.
4.4 Before packing, the fruits shall be pre-cooled in a refrigerated room until the pulp temperature reaches 4°C or below.
5. Container sealing
(1) Containers with fruit shall be sealed with coded seals.
(2) Seals can only be opened by the Chinese Customs at the port of entry.
6. The results of verification
(1) Probe shall be removed from the container before the fruit to be calibrated.
(2) If the fruit temperature probe record shows that the technical specifications in line with the requirements of the probe correction and insertion of position in line with the requirements of Article 3, Article 4, the treatment should be considered effective.
7. Temperature recording and confirmation
(1) Cold treatment during transport can be started before the fruit leaves the port of entry in Serbia and finished before or after it arrives at the first port of entry in China.
(2) Recording can be initiated at any time, but the processing time shall be calculated only when all fruit temperature probes have reached the specified temperature.
(3) The cold treatment temperature records downloaded by the shipping company shall be submitted to the Chinese Customs. If the cold treatment is completed before the ship arrives at the port of entry, the cold treatment records downloaded on board the ship may be transmitted to the Chinese Customs en route.
(4) Chinese Customs will examine whether the cold treatment record meets the relevant treatment requirements and decide whether the cold treatment is effective or not according to the result of probe calibration.
8. Phytosanitary Certificate
(1) The temperature and duration of cold treatment, container number and seal number shall be indicated in the phytosanitary certificate.
(2) When the fruit enters the country, it is necessary to provide the Chinese Customs with the phytosanitary certificate, the cold treatment report (with the cold treatment temperature record), and the fruit temperature probe calibration record.
