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 REQUIREMENTS FOR POULTRY MEAT TO BE EXPORTED FROM THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA("Off. Herald of RS - Treaties", No. 5/2026) |
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"), through friendly consultations, have reached the following agreement on the sanitary and quarantine, and food safety requirements for poultry meat 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 shall be responsible for the sanitary and quarantine inspection of poultry meat exported to China and for issuing the veterinary health certificate.
Article 2
MAFWM shall regularly provide the following information to GACC on an annual basis:
1. The national monitoring plans for chemical residues (veterinary drugs, contaminants, etc.) and pathogenic microorganisms implemented in accordance with Serbian regulations, along with their annual reports.
2. Measures for the prevention, control, or regionalization management of the animal diseases listed in Article 3 of this Protocol, including but not limited to the specific geographical location of each region, poultry population, information on export meat production enterprises, and monitoring status.
3. The epidemiological status of poultry infectious diseases in Serbia.
MAFWM shall cooperate with GACC to ensure that its food safety management system continuously complies with Chinese requirements. When necessary, GACC will send experts to Serbia to conduct on-site or retrospective audits on a regular or irregular basis. MAFWM shall provide necessary assistance and facilitation for such audits.
MAFWM shall regularly provide GACC, through appropriate means, with dynamic information regarding the production, export, and safety/hygiene supervision verification of export poultry meat enterprises. Both Sides shall exchange information on existing issues, cooperate in investigations and handling, and promptly take relevant rectification and preventive measures to ensure that export poultry meat production enterprises continuously comply with Chinese requirements.
GACC shall share with MAFWM information regarding legislative changes in China concerning safety requirements for the packaging and labeling of poultry meat (including edible offal and by-products), and provide MAFWM with updated versions of relevant regulations (technical specifications).
Article 3
MAFWM confirms, and GACC acknowledges, that there is no commercial poultry outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza or Newcastle Disease in Serbia, which is in compliance with the relevant requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
Article 4
Live poultry used for the production of poultry meat exported to China shall meet the following conditions:
1. They must be hatched, raised, and slaughtered in Serbia, have not been mixed with other captive animals, and their source farms must be traceable.
2. They must be originated from farms/holdings where no infectious diseases or parasitic diseases defined as List B disease in the List of Quarantine Diseases for Animal Enter the Republic of China that have occurred within 12 months prior to slaughter, relevant to avian, and may be transmitted through meat.
3. They must be originated from farms that have not been subject to quarantine restrictions or monitoring due to suspected flocks infections or confirmed infections of diseases/infectious diseases, other than those listed in paragraph (2) above, which are listed by China’s and Serbia’s animal health regulations, and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) related to avian within 6 months prior to slaughter.
Article 5
Production enterprises exporting poultry meat to China, including slaughterhouses, processing plants, and storage facilities (where slaughter and processing must be integrated operations), shall, under the supervision of MAFWM, comply with the requirements of relevant veterinary sanitary and public health laws and regulations of both China and Serbia.
In accordance with the Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and the Regulations for the Implementation of the Law on the Entry and Exit of Animals and Plants Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China, production enterprises exporting poultry meat to China must be registered with GACC. Meat production enterprises that are not registered shall not export to China.
Article 6
The official veterinarian of MAFWM declares by issuing the veterinary health certificate that:
1. The exported poultry meat comes from slaughterhouses, processing plants, and storage facilities registered in China, and a traceability system has been established to ensure that the exported poultry meat can be traced back to its source farm.
2. The live poultry used for the production of exported poultry meat:
a. Have never been administered with veterinary drugs and feed additives prohibited by both Sides.
b. Originate from farms that comply with the provisions of Article 4.
c. Have been subjected to ante-mortem and post-mortem inspections in accordance with relevant laws and regulations of China and Serbia, with satisfactory results.
d. Are certified to be healthy, free from clinical symptoms of any infectious diseases, and the carcasses and organs are free from pathological changes.
3. The Serbian National Residue Control Plan has been implemented, proving that the residues of veterinary drugs, pesticides, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, non-dioxin-like PCBs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other toxic and harmful substances in the products do not exceed the "Maximum Residue Limits" (MRLs) stipulated by China and Serbia.
4. The products are free from pathogenic microbial contamination and comply with the laws and regulations of China and Serbia as well as international standards.
5. The poultry meat is free from nuclear radiation contamination.
6. The products are safe, sanitary, and fit for human consumption.
Article 7
1. Slaughter poultry used for the production of meat for exported shall not have come into contact during the transportation to the slaughterhouse and at the slaughterhouse, with following:
a. Other species of animals;
b. Live poultry that do not comply with the provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of this Protocol;
c. Live poultry from enterprises not registered as stipulated in Article 5 of this Protocol.
2. Poultry meat exported to China shall not be processed together with the following products:
a. Products from animals that do not comply with the provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of this Protocol;
b. Products not from this registered enterprise;
c. Products from other species of animals.
3. In cold storage facilities storing poultry meat, a dedicated area for storing poultry meat exported to China shall be designated and clearly identified.
Article 8
Poultry meat exported to China must be packaged using brand-new materials that comply with China’s national food safety standards and international sanitary standards.
Poultry meat exported to China shall be packaged independently with interior package, indicating the product name, country of origin, manufacturer registration number and production batch number in Chinese and English, or Chinese and Serbian.
The outer packaging shall indicate the product name, specification, place of origin (specific to the country/region/city), registration number of the manufacturer, production batch number, destination (indicated the Republic of China), production date (shall include year, month, day), shelf life and storage conditions, etc., and paste or print Serbia official inspection and quarantine logo in Chinese and English, or Chinese and Serbian.
Pre-packaged poultry meat shall also comply with the requirements of Chinese laws, regulations, and standards concerning the labeling of pre-packaged foods.
Article 9
Throughout the entire process of packaging, storage, and transportation, poultry meat exported to China shall comply with the relevant sanitary requirements of both China and Serbia to prevent contamination by harmful substances.
The storage and transportation of poultry meat shall be conducted under appropriate temperature conditions, and the core temperature of the products shall not be higher than -15℃.
After the goods are loaded into containers, seals shall be affixed under the supervision of MAFWM prior to transportation, and the seal numbers must be indicated in the veterinary health certificate. The packaging shall not be opened or replaced during the transportation process.
Article 10
Each container of poultry meat exported to China shall be accompanied by at least one original official veterinary health certificate, certifying that the batch of products complies with the relevant provisions of Chinese and Serbian veterinary and public health laws and regulations as well as this Protocol.
The veterinary health certificate shall be written in Chinese, Serbian, and English (English is mandatory when filling out the certificate). The format and content of the veterinary health certificate must be mutually recognized by both Sides in advance.
MAFWM shall provide GACC with materials for record purposes, such as specimens of inspection and quarantine seals, samples of health certificates, a list of authorized certifying veterinarians, descriptions of anti-counterfeiting marks, and email addresses for sending electronic certificates. In case of any changes or replacements, MAFWM shall notify GACC at least one month in advance.
MAFWM shall promptly send electronic information of the issued veterinary health certificates to GACC through official channels for verification by GACC upon import. MAFWM shall ensure that the electronic information is secure, accurate, and error-free.
Article 11
When any of the epidemics or diseases listed in Article 3 occurs within the territory of Serbia, MAFWM shall immediately suspend the export of poultry meat to China, recall the problematic products and those that may pose potential risks, notify GACC, and provide detailed information on the status of the infectious disease and the control measures taken.
When the infectious disease specified in Paragraph 2 and 3 of Article 4 of this Protocol occurs within the territory of Serbia, or a major food safety contamination incident that may affect exported frozen poultry meat occurs, MAFWM shall immediately suspend the export of poultry meat from the corresponding infected control area/quarantine area to China, recall the problematic products and those that may pose potential risks, notify GACC, and provide detailed information on the status of the infectious disease or food safety contamination incident and the control measures taken.
After the infectious disease has been completely eradicated or the contamination incident has been resolved, if the export to China is to be resumed, both Sides shall negotiate the conditions for resuming exports in accordance with international practices.
Article 12
Upon importation, the Chinese side shall conduct inspection and quarantine in accordance with relevant Chinese laws, regulations, standards, and the provisions of this Protocol. If any non-compliance is found, the Serbian side shall be notified immediately, and the relevant products shall be returned, destroyed, or otherwise disposed of.
If GACC finds that products produced by Serbian poultry meat production enterprises not registered in China are exported to China via enterprises registered in China, GACC shall immediately revoke the registration qualification of the relevant enterprises involved.
If GACC finds that non-Serbian poultry meat are exported to China via Serbian enterprises registered in China, GACC shall immediately revoke the registration qualification of the relevant enterprises involved and suspend the export of Serbian poultry meat to China. MAFWM shall cooperate with GACC to investigate the causes of the problems and take remedial and corrective measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
Article 13
For the purposes of this Protocol, "poultry meat" refers to edible frozen of poultry carcasses(the edible parts of the body of poultry after slaughter, bleeding, and removal of feathers, viscera, head, and feet) as well as cuts and edible poultry offal.
The list of poultry meat and edible poultry offal allowed for export from Serbia to China is attached in Annex 1.
Article 14
The edible poultry by-products exported from Serbia to China listed in Annex 1 shall meet the processing hygiene requirements specified in Annex 2. Annexes 1 and 2 constitute an integral part of this Protocol. GACC and MAFWM may amend the relevant content through formal written correspondence upon mutual agreement.
Article 15
This Protocol may be amended upon mutual written agreement of both Sides. It shall enter into force on the date of signature by both Sides and shall remain valid for a period of five years. If neither Side notifies the other in writing of its intention to amend or terminate this Protocol six months prior to the expiration of the validity period, the Protocol shall be automatically extended for a further period of five years.
Article 16
Done at on, in duplicate, each copy being written in Serbian, Chinese, and English languages, all three texts being equally authentic. In case of divergence in interpretation, the English text shall prevail.
On behalf of |
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On behalf of |
LIST OF SERBIA POULTRY MEAT (INCLUDING EDIBLE POULTRY OFFAL) ELIGIBLE FOR EXPORT TO CHINA
1. Poultry meat: frozen whole chicken (excluding viscera and digestive organs such as stomach and intestine), rozen chicken meat (whole or in pieces, excluding frozen chicken breasts, frozen chicken legs), frozen chicken breasts, frozen chicken legs, frozen whole chicken wing and part (drumette, mid-joint-wing, 2-joint-wing, wing tip).
2. Edible poultry offal: frozen chicken heart, frozen chicken liver, gizzards, frozen chicken claws.
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SANITARY PROCESSING REQUIREMENTS FOR SERBIA EDIBLE POULTRY OFFAL FOR EXPORT TO CHINA
1. Scope
The requirements in this Annex apply to the eligible edible poultry offal listed in Annex I of this Protocol.
2. General requirements
2.1 According to the laws and regulations of Serbia and China, the poultry offal defined in this requirement are suitable for human consumption.
2.2 Serbia has established a food safety and health management system especially for edible poultry offal to be exported to China.
2.3 The edible poultry offal for export to China shall be derived from farms, slaughterhouses and establishments which have implemented an effective identification system to trace back to their place of origin.
2.4 Only establishments that have been registered with GACC are allowed to export edible poultry offal into China, and their processing rooms or areas exclusively for edible poultry offal should be registered as well.
2.5 The edible poultry offal for export to China shall be derived from animals that were subjected to Serbia’s National Residue Monitoring Plan. Based on the results of this plan, it can be attested that the poultry edible offal contain no medicine, chemical residue substance, and/or other toxic and harmful residue substance that may be hazardous to human health.
2.6 The edible poultry offal for export to China shall be processed and handled as per food safety requirements intended for human consumption. A HACCP based food safety management system shall be applied to ensure compliance with the relevant provisions of this Annex.
3. Edible poultry offal processing requirements
3.1 Processing sites, facilities and equipment
3.1.1 The edible poultry offal for export to China shall be processed in separate edible poultry offal processing room(s) or areas which are relatively isolated from the inedible offal processing room(s). The edible poultry offal processing room and its sanitary conditions shall comply with the sanitary standards prescribed for edible poultry offal in Serbia.
3.1.2 The size of the edible poultry offal processing room shall be compatible with processing capacity. The equipment and facilities shall meet the hygiene and sanitation requirements for edible poultry offal. Dirty processing flows and the clean processing flows shall be segregated reasonably to avoid cross contamination.
3.1.3 If the establishment conducts pre-chilling of edible poultry offal, the dedicated pre-chilling facilities and a packaging room shall be available.
3.2 Personnel sanitary requirements
3.2.1 Establishments exporting edible poultry offal shall have competent personnel that have been trained on the relevant processing procedures for poultry offal.
3.2.2 Personnel shall not pass though rooms or areas where the clean status of the products is different from that in their own processing room. They must not move directly between working rooms of different hygienic status without passing through a hygiene facility, wearing protective clothing and changing visibly contaminated clothing.
3.3 Temperature requirement
3.3.1 The temperature of the processing room(s) for poultry edible offal should be maintained at below 12 degrees Celsius (12°C), excluding the room for feet scalding. The temperature of the blast freezer should be below minus 28 degrees Celsius (-28°C). The chiller temperature should be below minus 18 degrees Celsius (-18°C).
3.3.2 Controls on freezing of edible poultry offal shall be consistent with controls prescribed for edible poultry products by China, Serbia and this Protocol.
3.3.3 The temperature of the hot water for cleaning equipment shall be higher than 40 degrees Celsius (40°C). The temperature of the hot water for equipment sterilization shall not be less than 82 degrees Celsius (82°C).
3.3.4 If pre-chilling is implemented, the core temperature of the
visceral listed in Annex I shall be kept no higher than three degrees
Celsius (3°C), and the core temperature of other poultry offal shall be kept no higher than four degrees Celsius (7°C).
3.3.5 Poultry edible offal shall be transported in refrigerated conveyance(s) which meet sanitary requirements.
3.3.6 The core temperature of the exported edible poultry offal shall
be not warmer than minus 15 degrees Celsius (-15°C) during transport.
3.4 Requirements for finished products
3.4.1 Any visible fester, effusion, lesion, secretion, gastrointestinal contents or foreign objects (such as plastic, metal and residual feed, etc.), on the edible offal should be removed by trimming or washing prior to packing and freezing. The finished offal should not be processed together with inedible offal within the same room.
3.4.2 The edible poultry offal for export to China must be packed in separate packaging material separately according to different types of products and stored in the specific area with identifiable mark.
3.5 Sanitary control of processing
Each establishment shall implement a microbial monitoring plan depending on various edible poultry offal for export to China in accordance with the table below. The establishment operator shall collect, record and periodically analyze the microbiological results to establish a database.
3.5.1 Sampling
Five(5) packing boxes or bulk samples should be collected randomly by cutting method. The samples shall be collected from different parts of the package, mixed thoroughly, then merged into one sample weighing at least five hundred grams (500g).
3.5.2 Storage and transportation
The samples shall be placed in the insulation containers with ice packs or ice water. The sample shall not be frozen or in direct contact with the ice pack. After sampling, the samples shall be handled in the laboratory within one (1) hour, otherwise the sample should be stored between zero degree Celsius (0°C) and 4 degrees Celsius (4°C) for no longer than 24 hours.
3.6 Follow up steps
If the result is determined to be unsatisfactory, the corrective actions as follows should be applied:
3.6.1. Checking the internal quality control records (such as temperature, sanitary and other anomalies) to ascertain the reason.
3.6.2 Taking appropriate corrective actions (such as collecting more samples to verify the effectiveness of corrective actions or rectification measures).
3.6.3 Keeping records of the cause of the non-compliance and the corrective actions for at least two (2) years.
Table:
Sampling Plans and Limits for Microbial Monitoring for Edible Poultry Offal
Micro-organism |
Sampling plan |
Limit |
Sampling frequency |
Stage where the sample should be collected |
|||
n |
c |
m |
M |
Original frequency |
The frequency can be reduced if the results are satisfied |
||
APC |
5 |
2 |
5×105CFU/g |
5×106CFU/g |
For each category, collect 5 samples per week, for 6 consecutive weeks |
For each category, collect 5 samples every 2 weeks |
End of the processing |
Escherichia coli |
5 |
2 |
50 CFU/g |
500 CFU/g |
For each category, collect 5 samples per week, for 6 consecutive weeks |
For each category, collect 5 samples every 2 weeks |
Prior to chilling/freezing |
Salmonella |
50 |
7 |
Absence in 25 g |
/ |
For each category, collect 5 samples per week, for 10 consecutive weeks, 30 weeks in total. |
For each category, collect 5 samples every 2 weeks |
Following chilling/ freezing |
*:n = number of units comprising the sample; c = number of sample units giving values between m and M.
Interpretation of the test results:
- satisfactory, if all the values observed are ≤ m,
- acceptable, if a maximum of c/n values are between m and M, and the rest of the values observed are ≤ m,
- unsatisfactory, if one or more of the values observed are > M or more than the c/n values are between m and M.
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