PROTOCOLBETWEEN 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 ON INSPECTION, QUARANTINE AND VETERINARY SANITARY REQUIREMENTS FOR BEE HONEY TO BE EXPORTED FROM THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA TO THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA("Off. Herald of RS - Treaties", No. 5/2023) |
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 "GACC") (hereinafter collectively referred to as "the Parties"), through friendly negotiations, have agreed on the following inspection, quarantine and veterinary sanitary requirements on bee honey to be exported from the Republic of Serbia (hereinafter referred to as "Serbia") to the People′s Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as "China").
Article 1
MAFWM and GACC shall be the Competent Authorities of Serbia and China to implement this Protocol, respectively. Within this Protocol, MAFWM is responsible for policies and programs governing inspection, quarantine of bee honey to be exported to China, and is the Competent Authority of issuing Veterinary Health Certificate which shall accompany the product during exports.
Article 2
MAFWM shall be responsible for providing GACC with the following information in an appropriate way:
(1) Updates of laws and regulations of Serbia governing the official controls of the production and processing of bee honey for export to China, as well as the inspection and quarantine programs, test methods, procedures and relevant standards of the bee honey;
(2) Information on the national residue monitoring program, sanitary control plan, honeybee infectious diseases and contaminants with annual results report;
(3) Regularly update information of the Competent Authority on production and exportation of the registered establishments for export of bee honey to China as well as the sanitary and safety supervision;
(4) Details about the prevention and control measures on honeybee diseases listed in Article 4 and 5; and
(5) The regular honeybee diseases infestations.
MAFWM shall ensure that administrative systems for food safety, comply with the requirements of China, with continuing effectiveness. When deemed necessary, GACC may send experts to Serbia, regularly or randomly, to conduct an on-site audit or retrospective inspection. MAFWM shall provide necessary assistance to enable the audit and inspection.
Both Parties shall establish a highly effective information reporting mechanism to cooperate with each other on investigating and handling existing problems, as well as corrective and preventive actions to be taken to ensure that the establishments are in compliance with the import requirements of China. In the event of a major public health epidemic, MAFWM should notify GACC in a timely manner of any infected employees in the establishments.
Article 3
The honey bees from which the exported bee honey is derived shall:
(1) originate from apiaries which are located in Serbia, registered and effectively supervised by the MAFWM ;
(2) not gather nectar and honeydew from or secretions of toxic or transgenic plants.
Article 4
MAFWM officially confirms freedom from Small Hive Beetle infestation (Aethina tumida Murray Spp.) and any Tropilaelaps Infestation (Tropilaelaps mites Spp.) of honey bees in the territory of Serbia.
Article 5
(1) Within 12 months prior to export of bee honey there shall have been no official report of American foulbrood of honey bees and European foulbrood of honey bees occurring within a radius of 5 kilometers around the apiaries.
(2) On quarantine requirements of Varroa Destructor, the bee honey to be exported to China shall:
a) within 12 months prior to export, there shall have been no official report of Varroa spp. occurring within a radius of 5 kilometers around the apiaries; or
b) has been strained through a filter of pore size smaller than 0.42 mm; or
c) has been heated to 50°C core temperature and holding at that temperature for at least 20 minutes, or
d) has been frozen at core temperature of minus 12°C or less for at least 24 hours, in order to kill Varroa Destructor and its eggs completely, and the necessary measures for effective removal of dead mites and its eggs have been taken.
Article 6
The processing establishments intended for exporting honey to China shall be registered with GACC according to the Food Safety Law of China. The Competent Authorities of Serbia shall verify that the said establishments comply with the requirements of the laws, regulations and standards of China and the provisions of this Protocol, and accordingly recommend them to GACC. GACC shall decide on the registrations of the processing establishments. Processing establishments which are not registered with GACC are not allowed to export bee honey to China.
Article 7
The official veterinarians of Serbia shall ensure that, according to official information:
(1) the bee honey exported to China derived from honey bees which meet the requirements in Articles 3, 4 and 5 of this Protocol;
(2) prohibited veterinary medicines have never been utilized in nor derived from the apiaries from which the bee honey intended to be exported.
(3) bee honey from establishments which have in place a traceability system can be traced to the apiaries.
(4) the residue level of the veterinary medicines, pesticides, microorganisms, heavy metals and other environmental pollutants contaminated in the honey is below the maximum limits stipulated by China and Serbia.
(5) during a major infectious disease of public health, the establishments implemented prevention and control measures in accordance with the international standards, developed necessary prevention and control measures for safety of the bee products, ensured the effective implementation of measures applied in the whole process of the raw material acceptance,processing, packaging, storage, and transportation to prevent cross contamination.
(6) the bee honey is hygienic, safe and fit for human consumption.
Article 8
The processing and storage of honey to be exported to China shall comply with the sanitary requirements of China and Serbia to prevent the pollution by undesirable substances. Bee honey to be exported to China shall not be mixed or processed together with:
(1) other products which are not in compliance with the requirements in Articles 3, 4 and 5 of this Protocol,
(2) products which are not produced by the same registered establishment, or
(3) products of other species of the same registered establishment, produced at the same time.
Labeling in each stage, including apiary, manufacture, package and storage, shall be in line with existing legislation. Independent warehouses, or specific areas clearly identified shall be available exclusively for the storage of the bee honey intended for exportation.
Article 9
Bee honey to be exported to China shall be packed with food contact materials in compliance with China′s National Food Safety Standards.
The package shall be sealed and labeled with the name, specifications, place of origin (specifying the state/province/city), establishment registration number, batch numbers, destination (designated as the People’s Republic of China), production date (year/month/day), shelf life, etc.
The labels of prepackaged bee honey shall comply with the standards and regulatory requirements of China on pre-packaged food labeling.
Article 10
To prevent contamination with undesirable substances during transportation, the bee honey to be exported to China shall meet the relevant sanitary requirements of China and Serbia.
The container should be sealed under the supervision of an authorized officer of Serbia, after the products are loaded. The seal number shall be specified on the Veterinary Health Certificate. During transportation, the package of the products shall not be unwrapped or changed.
Article 11
Each container/bacth of bee honey to be exported from Serbia to China shall be accompanied by at least one original Veterinary Health Certificate, attesting that the products are in compliance with the veterinary and public health rules and regulations of Serbia and China and the provisions of this Protocol.
The Veterinary Health Certificate must be written in Serbian, Chinese and English. The format and content of the Certificate shall be mutually agreed in advance by both Parties.
MAFWM shall provide GACC with models of the inspection and quarantine stamps and seal marks, samples of the Veterinary Health Certificate, a list of names and signatures of the authorized signatory officers, and security measures against falsification. MAFWM shall notify GACC concerning any modifications and changes to the above, at least one month prior to the modifications or changes coming into effect.
Article 12
(1) When there is any occurrence of epidemic diseases in Serbia listed in Article 4 of this Protocol, MAFWM shall immediately suspend the exportation of honey, recall the bee honey products with potential risk, and inform GACC promptly, providing detailed information on the infestation investigation and any measures taken to control the situation.
(2) When there is any occurrence in Serbia of infectious diseases listed in Article 5 of this Protocol, or of Category B diseases, parasitic diseases and other epidemic diseases, which are included in the List of Quarantine Diseases for the Animals Imported to the People′s Republic of China and WOAH TAHC, and which are relevant to bees and may possibly spread via honey, MAFWM shall immediately take effective measures to prevent the epidemic introduction into the apiaries which export honey to China. Once the above-mentioned apiaries and areas are confirmed to be affected, MAFWM shall stop the exportation of the honey produced in the relevant apiaries and areas immediately, recall the products and other products with potential risk, promptly inform GACC and provide information on how the incidents occurred and were controlled.
(3) When there is any occurrence in Serbia of a significant public health incident which may affect the quality and safety of the honey intended for exportation, for instance, when an employee was infected with major infectious diseases and has contaminated or may contaminate bee honey for export to China, as well as the package and transportation vehicle thereof, MAFWM shall inform GACC immediately, take necessary measures, including suspending the export to China from the involved enterprises, recall the products and other products with potential risk and provide information on the investigation and disposition of the incidents occurred.
Upon eradication of the infestation or at the end of the above mentioned public health incident, the trade shall resume, following consultations between GACC and MAFWM according to the international practice.
Article 13
If GACC finds that the bee honey is non-compliant with the requirements of this Protocol, GACC shall notify MAFWM in a timely manner, and implement return, destruction or other disposals of the products, pursuant to China′s laws and regulations. MAFWM shall investigate the reasons according to the information received from GACC, and take corrective and rectifying actions, and provide relevant feedback to GACC.
Article 14
For the purposes of this Protocol, bee honey means a natural sweet substance formed through sufficient brewing after the nectar, secretion or honey dew of plant which is collected by honeybees and mixed with their own secretion.
Article 15
This Protocol shall enter into force on the date of receipt of the last written notification through diplomatic channels, by which the sides notify each other that their internal procedures for its entry into force have been completed.
This Protocol shall remain into force for a 5-year period and it shall thereafter, be automatically extended for successive 5-year periods, unless either Party gives to the other a six (6)-month advance notice in writing of its intention to terminate it.
Article 16
Done at ……… on …….. in duplicate in the Serbian, English and Chinese languages, all texts being equally authentic. In case of divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
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