PROTOCOL
OF SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EXPORT OF THE PELLET BEET PULP FROM SERBIA TO CHINA BETWEEN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND WATER MANAGEMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA AND THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF CUSTOMS OF THE PEOPLE›S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

("Off. Herald of RS - Treaties", No. 6/2021)

In order to ensure safety of the supply of Serbian pellet beet pulp to the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as China) in accordance with the principles of WTO/SPS and on the basis of risk analysis results, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter referred to as "MAFWM") and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the "GACC"), (jointly referred to as the "Parties"), through friendly consultations, reached the following agreement on:

Article 1

For the purposes of this Protocol, Serbian pellet beet pulp exported to China is a by-product produced through the separation of sugar from pellet beet grown in the territory of the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter referred to as Serbia) after cleaning, cutting, pressing, drying, granulating and other processes.

Article 2

Pellet beet pulp to be exported to China should not contain any quarantine pests that are of China›s concern (see Annex), other live pests and plant seeds, animal excrement or carcasses, poultry feathers, soil and GMO components that are not officially approved in China and should comply with Chinese Safety and Hygiene Standards of feed (GB13078).

Article 3

MAFWM should ensure that the exported pellet beet pulpsare from the inspected and approved plants. The plants are recommended to GACC by MAFWM, and will be registered by GACC after inspection or audit. The list of approved plants to export pellet beet pulp to China can be found on the GACC website, and will be updated regular.

Article 4

MAFWM should ensure that approved plants establish/implement a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Quality Management System, or a traceability management system and effective operation, or implement management based on the quality management concept. Plants should reinforce the sanitary control on raw materials and auxiliary substances, the production processing, final products warehouse and transportation, in order to avoid the pellet beet pulp be polluted by raw pellet beet, soil, animal carcasses and excrement, poultry feathers. No poisonous and harmful substances of any animal source components shall be added.

Article 5

Pellet beet pulp to be exported to China should be stored separately from raw materials and other products. Effective measures should be taken to keep rodents, insects and birds away from the storage warehouse, and any secondary contamination from harmful organisms should be avoided.

Article 6

Package to be used for export of pellet beet pulp should be clean and hygienic. Means of transport used to transport pellet beet pulp should be cleaned thoroughly and be disinfected when necessary.

Article 7

Each container or each hold of the ship (such as bulk shipping) of each consignment of pellet beet pulp should have at least one packaging label with plant name, registration number and the declaration on the label stating as "pellet beet pulp exported from the Republic of Serbia to the People’s Republic of China" written in Chinese and English.

The labeling of each consignment of pellet beet pulp should comply with national standard of the People›s Republic of China for Feed Label (GB 10648).

Article 8

MAFWM should implement the official regular surveillance on the processing plants to ensure the products safety and health-hygiene conditions.

Article 9

MAFWM allows pellet beet pulp to be exported to China if it has passed sanitary and phytosanitary inspection. Each consignment of the pellet beet pulp to be exported to China should be accompanied with a phytosanitary certificate signed by the officials of the Republic of Serbia, and should comply with the requirements of International Standard for Phytosanitary Measures No. 12 "Guidelines for phytosanitary certificates".

The phytosanitary certificate should include the name and registration number of the plant, as well as the container number or the vessel name (in case of bulk shipping) and other information. Shipments with treatment before or during transportation should be indicated along with the methods and targets of treatment.

The field "Additional information" of the phytosanitary certificate should contain the following text: "This consignment complies with the requirements of the Protocol of sanitary and phytosanitary requirements for the export of pellet beet pulp from Serbia to China between the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia, and is free from quarantine pests of China’s concern".

Article 10

Upon arrival of every pellet beet pulp consignment into the entry port on the territory of the People’s Republic of China, the China Customs carries out inspection and quarantine. Consingment(s) which do not meet the requirements of Article 2., 7. and 9., may be treated according to the following provisions:

(1) Returned or destroyed in the absence of a phytosanitary certificate or non-compliance with requirements;

(2) Treated, returned or destroyed if live quarantine pests or other live pests are found;

(3) Returned or destroyed if soil orgenetically modified Organisms (GMO) non-approved by China is found;

(4) Biosafety disposal (according to relevant Chinese laws and regulations), returned or destroyed if animal excrement or carcasses, poultry feathers, plant seeds are found or do not meet the requirements of related Chinese feed health and safety standards;

(5) Corrected, returned or destroyed if do not meet the requirements of Article 7.

In the above-mentioned non-compliances are found, GACC will notify MAFWM and take, depending on the severity of the non-compliance, additional measures such as suspending for the relevant plant.

Article 11

This Protocol shall come into force on the date of its signature by both parties and remain valid for a period of five years. The Protocol could be amended by mutual consent by the parties. If one party wishes to terminate this Protocol, it shall notify the other party in writing three months in advance. It may be automatically extended for a period of five years unless any party gives a written notice to the other party of its intention to terminate the Protocol three months before the expiry of this Protocol.

This Protocol is signed in Belgrade on 4.2.2021., in two originals, each in Serbian, Chinese and English languages, and all texts are equally authentic. In case of any divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.

On behalf of
the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia

 

On behalf of
General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China

 

ANNEX
Quarantine Pests of China’s Concern
1. Trogoderma granarium Everts
2. Peronospora farinosa Fries f.sp betea Byford
3. Heterodera schachtii Schmidt
4. Ambrosia spp.