During an exclusive interview with the Xinhua News Agency, Minister Han Changfu of Agriculture shared his views on the status, challenges and future priorities for regulation and supervision over agri-product quality and safety in China. The interview was a side event to the National Conference on Supervision over Agri-product Quality and Safety held on July 22nd, 2013.

 

Monitoring results in 2012 showed that 97.9% vegetables, 99.7% livestock and poultry products and 96.9% aquatic products were up to the national quality and safety standards, announced by MOA at the Conference.

 

In the interview, Minister Han answered the following questions:

 

Question 1: What is the status-quo of agri-product quality and safety in China?

 

Minister Han: A recent study by an overseas agency showed that China’s agri-product quality and safety is at an upper middle level in the world. This is a hard-won achievement, particularly for a developing country with such a large population, and also reflects the progress in China’s agricultural development.

 

The state has taken several measures on ensuring agri-product quality and safety, which greatly contributed to such achievement. The measures are as follows:

 

First, well-established legal framework. China promulgated the Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, the Law on Food Safety and corresponding administrative regulations on dairy products, pesticides, animal drugs and feed. In addition, MOA released sectoral rules or mandatory technical specifications concerning safety at places of origin, packaging, labeling, inspection and testing. Local governments also issued some by-laws concerning quality and safety of agri-products. Thus, a three-tiered legal framework governing agri-products quality and safety was shaped in China.

 

Second, specialized campaign. MOA has conducted special rectification programs concerning agri-product quality and safety for six years in a row. In pesticide sector, MOA launched specialized campaign against banned and restricted highly-toxic pesticides, and several publicity activities in the Year of Law-enforcement in Pesticide. Now, buyers can only purchase high-toxic pesticides at designated shops upon showing their identification. In dairy sector, two rectification programs targeting at milk collection stations and feed supply were conducted, incorporating milk collection stations and vehicles transporting fresh and raw milk into regulation. In livestock sector, the campaign against the use of brown meat essence (b agonists) crushed the illegal manufacturing and sale network. In animal drug sector, China intensified animal drug residue control and curbed the abusive use of antibiotics.

 

Third, improved standards. In terms of standard-based production, China issued 7600 national standards and sectoral standards, including 2200 standards regulating Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) for pesticides and animal drugs. In addition, local governments released more than 18,000 standards or technical specifications. These standards and specifications cover all links of agricultural production. More than 90,000 products were certified as Safe Agri-product, Green Food, Organic Agri-product, and Geographic Indication of Agri-product. 

 

Fourth, regular monitoring and inspection. In terms of testing and monitoring, MOA has put in place the routine monitoring, industry census, supervision and random inspection for quality and safety of agri-products. Testing agencies conducted residue control on pesticides, animal drugs, feeds and aquatic products, covering products marketing in major cities, major producing areas and bulk commodities.

 

However, despite of such measures, due to extensive production mode and market disorder, agri-product quality and safety still has several hidden risks. In today’s well-connected society, the influence of certain minor food incidents is more likely to be amplified. Therefore, any improper response or disposal of government officials might escalate the incidents.

 

Question 2: What are the major types of food safety incidents in China?

 

Minister Han: Based on monitoring results and incidents revealed in recent years, there are four major types of incidents:

 

First, excessive pesticide or drug residue, mostly excessive residue of severely restricted high-toxic pesticides in vegetables and abusive use of antibiotics in animal farming. Several factors attributed to such overuse and misuse, such as frequent occurrence and re-emergence of pests and diseases, less efficacy of low-toxic pesticides or animal drugs, and insufficient knowledge of farmers. The key solutions to this problem are to promote pesticides and animal drugs of high-efficacy, low-toxicity and low residue, enhance technical guidance and training, and promote specialized social services.

 

Second, illegitimate use of toxic and hazardous additives, including melamine in milk, brown meat essence in pig-farming, and malachite green in aquatic products. To address such issue, it is essential to intensify regulation, increase inspection and tighten punishment against violation.

 

Third, heavy metal contamination. Currently, Cadmium contamination in rice is prominent in a few counties of South China. It is a result of accumulative environmental pollution. Bringing contamination under control is the basis and focus to solve this issue. Meanwhile, based on pollution census, contaminated areas might also diversify product mix.

 

Fourth, fake and substandard agricultural inputs. Unlicensed workshops are producing agricultural inputs with unregistered or prohibited ingredients. These prevailing risks are partially attributed to small scale, scattered and disordered pattern of agricultural input manufacturing. To address this issue, MOA both strengthened tough measures and provided guidance for improved operation. As for the former, MOA imposed stricter thresholds to production and marketing of agricultural inputs, and stringent penalties on severe violations. As for the latter, mechanisms such as designated shops and centralized distribution of agricultural inputs were put into place. MOA is determined to improve the market order by using economic, legal and administrative means.

 

Question 3: What are the priorities of supervision over agri-product quality and safety in the future?

 

Minister Han: To ensure safe food for consumers is the responsibility of competent agricultural departments. If this issue cannot be well addressed, the consumers won’t be satisfied with our work, even if the agriculture and rural economy keep fast growth. The Chinese Government has set the goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects by 2020. Against this backdrop, if the quality and safety of agri-products, a fundamental issue bearing people’s well-being, cannot be secured by then, the goal might not be truly fulfilled.

 

China will attach more importance to quality and safety of agri-productsby strengthening supervision and standard-based production at the same time. Any violation shall be punished. To promote standard-based production, MOA will intensify policy support, capital investment and infrastructure building, and improve supervision system and supervision capacity-building for quality and safety of agri-products.

 

By region, the supervision priorities will be targeted at major producing regions, competitive producing areas and key farming and fishery counties. By product, ”vegetable-basket” products and those products of wide social concern would be the focus. The supervision will be intensified along the whole-chain of agricultural production. Quality and safety of agri-products shall be improved at the source. It is our goal to ensure that over 96% edible agri-products are up to the quality and safety standards.

 

China will crack down on violations by imposing harsher punishment. While doing so, China shall pool all resources to curb prominent issues related with food safety and clear up hidden rules. Efforts should be made to reinforce the coordination between agricultural law-enforcement forces and judicial forces, including case transfer and overseeing the handling of major cases. MOA will make regular supervision over quality and safety of agri-products a priority for grassroots agricultural law-enforcement forces. Random inspection and testing shall be intensified in this area, and any sign of quality and safety violations shall be curbed upon detection.

 

In conclusion, it is believed that the fundamental solution lies in standard-based production. Accordingly, standard-setting is a vital work. Taking Maximum Residue Limits （MRLs） for pesticides and animal drugs as the key, MOA shall complete the standard-setting work for the quality and safety of edible agri-products within the coming 3-5 years. Under the initiative, standard-based production will be rolled out in crop and livestock production in selected 100 counties out of major producing areas annually.

 

Source in Chinese: Xinhua News Agency.

 (All information published in this website is authentic in Chinese. The English version is provided for reference only.)