New administrative measures for dairy exports to China

New administrative measures on inspection, quarantine and supervision of imports and exports of dairy products to and from China will come into effect on 1 May 2013, the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) Dairy Export Team has announced.

These new administrative measures were notified to the WTO in May 2011 and include requirements for approval of government authorities of exporting countries, mandatory registration of all overseas producers, new health certification attestations and details of testing against China’s standards.

Although the measures come into effect on 1 May, DAFF says implementation may be delayed. DAFF is drafting a submission about Australia’s legislated requirements for dairy product exports in response to these new measures.

DAFF says this may enable it to be approved as a competent authority that can list establishments to export dairy products to China. The submission will also include a list of all export-registered dairy establishments and a request for all of these establishments to be registered by relevant Chinese authorities. It will also be explained that any changes to the list of DAFF-approved establishments are managed through the registration database that communicates with its electronic certification system.

DAFF says it will continue to investigate these proposed measures and seek additional information about certificates and how the testing requirements will be implemented.