Dear orsc,
Thank you for the good news and for giving me the opportunity to post
this as an answer. I'm really glad to hear that my research wasn't all
in vain - I found it frustrating at times because I'd often think I
was onto a good lead only to have it turn out to be useless. What a
kettle of fish! So you can imagine how happy I was when I finally
found the "China, People?s Republic of Food and Agricultural Import
Regulations and Standards" for Aquatic Products via the Canadian
website. In regards to the procedures, I would imagine the Regional
Office at (206) 526-4259 will give them to you.
Good luck with your shipments, I hope they all arrive safely.
Sincerely,
hummer
--------------
Here it is again to make it official:
8. Regulations
"The importation of fish and shellfish is subject to different
regulations and inspections depending on the product and the degree of
processing. The State General Administration for Quality Supervision
and Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) issued new regulations covering
aquatic products which became effective June 30, 2003. These
regulations cover the requirements for the inspection health
certificate as well as labelling regulations. A translation of the
regulations can be found at:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/gainfiles/200212/145784909.pdf
Once all inspections have been cleared, seafood products will pass
through China Customs where the CIF price (Cost+Insurance+Freight) is
subject to the appropriate tariff. In addition to the customs import
tariff there is a Value Added Tax (VAT) on the CIF price of 3% for
fresh seafood products and 17% for other seafood products."
http://atn-riae.agr.ca/asia/e3477.htm
China, People?s Republic of Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards
AQSIQ Announcement No. 31 (Aquatic Products)
2002
Article 10.
"Prior to or when aquatic products enter China, the owner or agent
should apply to the CIQ institution at the port of entry for
inspection and quarantine with the quarantine permit for animals and
plants, the original copy of the inspection and quarantine certificate
issued by the official institution of the exporting country or region,
the place of origin certificate, the trade contract, the letter of
credit, the bill of lading, the invoice and other related documents.
Registration numbers should be provided when applying for inspection
and quarantine of aquatic products included in the Import Food Catalog
for Enterprise Registration. The accompanying official inspection and
quarantine certificate issued by the exporting countries or regions
should meet the Basic Requirements for the Official Inspection and
Quarantine Certificates Issued by the Exporting Countries or Regions
for Import Aquatic Products (see appendix 2)."
Appendix 2:
Basic Requirements for the Official Inspection and Quarantine
Certificate for an Entry Aquatic Product from the Exporting
Country(Region)
I. Certificate should specify: variety name (and official name),
production area, catch area, processing method, name and registration
number of processing plant, name of department issuing the
certificate, means of transportation (including vessel name, number,
and container number), seal number, consignee name, consignor name,
quantity, weight, and production date.
II. Certificate shall not be tampered with. Certificate shall be
accompanied with an official stamp and the signature of the inspector.
Destination shall be indicated as the People?s Republic of China.
III. Each batch of aquatic products shall carry an original
certificate. The certificate shall be in both Chinese and English
languages.
IV. Certificate shall carry the following contents:
(Chinese then English) This is to certify that:
1. (Chinese then English) The above fishery products were come from
the establishment approved competent authority.
2. (Chinese then English) The products were produced, packed, stored,
and transported under sanitary condition, which were under the
supervision of competent authority.
3. (Chinese then English) The products were inspected and quarantined
by competent authority and not found any pathogenic bacteria, harmful
substances and foreign substances regulated in the P.R. China.
4. (Chinese then English) The products meet veterinary sanitary
requirements and fit for human consumption.
Date of Issue
Stamp
Official Veterinary Signature
Here it is on a China website:
Regulations on Inspection and Quarantine of Entry and Exit Aquatic Products
http://en.ec.com.cn/pubnews/2003_02_16/200592/1000349.jsp
The USDC issues a bilingual certificate, here's the phone number:
The People's Republic of China
"In response to industry requests subsequent to the People's Republic
of China's publication of Announcement No. 31, (Aquatic Products) 2002
establishing new health certification criteria for imported fishery
products, the USDC Seafood Inspection Program has a bilingual export
health certificate available for shipment certificate.
The Program can issue the certificate to USDC approved establishments
that participate under a reduced inspection program (HACCP-Quality
Management Program), or on a lot inspection basis."
Requests should be directed to the Regional Office at:
Western region: (206) 526-4259
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/Certupdate.htm
Now I realize that you will be exporting to China and Hong Kong, but
if you need the certificate for China anyway, then you'll have a copy
of it for Hong Kong too, if needed.
The following links are all interesting and helpful, but I couldn't
find where they actually answered your question.
Seafood Inspection Program
FDA-Issued/Supported Export Certificates for Foods
"The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) of the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce is
authorized to collect fees to recover both the inspectional and
administrative costs associated with its issuance of export
certificates for fish and fishery products under its Seafood
Inspection Program (SIP). FDA, as the principal federal agency in the
United States responsible for seafood safety, is also requested by the
U.S. seafood industry and foreign governments to attest to the safety
of U.S. harvested/produced seafood and to issue export certificates.
FDA issues such certificates on a discretionary basis, but does not
recover any of the administrative costs associated with this
activity."
Other countries are increasing their demands on FDA for food export certificates.
"Other European countries outside the EU, including a number of
prospective members of the EU, have begun to request "EU-type health
certificates". Countries in South America and South and East Asia have
begun to request/demand similar export certificates. FDA has resisted
issuing these additional certificates (beyond those demanded by the EU
as a condition for export), but the clear trend is toward a greater
demand by foreign governments for export certificates."
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/certifi3.html
Importers and Exporters Brochure
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/ImportExport.pdf
Seafood Inspection Program Fees
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/Fees05.pdf
For information, contact:
Seafood Inspection Program
1315 East-West Highway · Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: (301)713-2355 · Fax: (301)713-1081
Toll Free 800-422-2750
Acting Director, Richard V. Cano
NOAA Fisheries
http://seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/ |
