Date of Issue: 28 March 2014
Date of Effect: Immediate
Affected Markets: China
The Department of Agriculture (the department) has received advice that the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) has introduced a new government initiative to encourage importers to conduct voluntary self-inspections of imported chilled aquatic products to ensure quality and safety.
The department understands that AQSIQ’s advice has been interpreted differently by Chinese border officials, with some officials enforcing mandatory testing of products, conducted by the importer before products are released from quarantine. This was not the intention of the initiative and to avoid trade disruptions the department encourages exporters to discuss AQSIQ’s new initiative with their importers prior to exporting chilled aquatic products.
If product clearance difficulties are encountered, please contact the Export Standards Branch.
The information provided above is current at the time of writing and is intended for use as guidance only and should not be taken as definitive or exhaustive. The Commonwealth endeavours to keep information current and accurate, however, it may be subject to change without notice. Exporters are encouraged to verify these details with their importers prior to undertaking production/exports. The Commonwealth will not accept liability for any loss resulting from reliance on information contained in this notice.