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Law of the Peoples Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quar

[2008-12-23 16:53:31]

Law of the Peoples Republic of China on the Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine
Tuesday,March 20,2007 Posted: 09:11 BJT(0111 GMT)     


(Adopted at the 22nd Meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh 

National People's Congress on October 30, 1991, promulgated by Order No.

53 of the President of the People's Republic of China on October 30,

1991 and effective as of April 1, 1992)



CONTENTS                

CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS

CHAPTER II ENTRY QUARANTINE

CHAPTER III EXIT QUARANTINE

CHAPTER IV TRANSIT QUARANTINE

CHAPTER V QUARANTINE OF MATERIALS CARRIED BY PASSENGERS OR BY POST

CHAPTER VI QUARANTINE OF MEANS OF TRANSPORT

CHAPTER VII LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY

CHAPTER VIII SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS

           

CHAPTER I GENERAL PROVISIONS



Article  1 This Law is formulated for the purpose  of  preventing

infectious or parasitic diseases of animals, diseases, insect pests and

weeds dangerous to plants, and other harmful  organisms (hereinafter 

referred to, for short, as diseases, insect pests and harmful organisms)

from spreading into or out of the country, protecting the  production 

of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery as well as human

health, and promoting the development of foreign economic relations and

trade.



Article 2 Animals and plants, their products and other quarantine

objects, containers and packaging materials used for carrying animals 

and plants, their products or other quarantine objects, as well as means

of transport from animal or plant epidemic areas shall, on entry or

exit, be subject to quarantine inspection in accordance with this Law.



Article  3  An animal and plant quarantine department shall  be 

instituted under the State Council (hereinafter referred to, for short, 

as  the State animal and plant quarantine department), which shall 

conduct a unified administration of the entry and exit animal and plant

quarantine in the whole country. Port animal and plant quarantine

offices set up by the State animal and plant quarantine department

at ports open to the outside world and at places busy with entry

and exit animal and plant quarantine shall, in accordance with this

Law, carry out entry and exit animal and plant quarantine.

The department in charge of the quarantine of animal products leaving

the country for trade purposes shall be designated by the State Council

as it deems appropriate.



The department of agriculture administration under the State Council

shall be in charge of the entry and exit animal and plant quarantine in

the whole country.



Article 4 A port animal and plant quarantine office may exercise the 

following functions and powers when performing quarantine inspection:

(1)  Embarking  on a ship, a vehicle or an  airplane  to  perform

quarantine under this Law;

(2) Entering a seaport, an airport, a railway or coach station, a post 

office or a site where quarantine objects are stored, processed, bred or

cultivated, to perform quarantine  inspection and collect samples

according to relevant regulations;

(3) Entering a site relating to production or storage according to the

needs of quarantine, to carry out epidemic monitoring and investigations

or quarantine supervision and control;

(4) Consulting, making copies of or excerpts from operational diaries,

bills of lading, contracts, invoices or other documents relating to the

quarantine objects.



Article 5 The State shall prohibit the following objects from entering

the country:

(1) Pathogenic micro-organisms (including seed cultures of bacteria and 

viruses) of animals and plants, insect  pests  and other harmful

organisms;

(2) Relevant animals and plants, their products and other quarantine 

objects from countries or regions with prevalent epidemic animal or

plant diseases;

(3) Animal carcasses; and

(4) Soil.



When  a port animal and plant quarantine office discovers any  objects

prohibited from entering the country as prescribed in the  preceding

paragraph, such objects shall be returned or destroyed.

Whoever, because of special needs such as scientific research, imports 

any  objects prohibited from entering the country as prescribed in the

first paragraph of this Article, must submit an application in advance,

which shall be subject to the approval by the State animal and plant

quarantine department.



The catalogues of objects prohibited from entering the country as

prescribed in (2) of the first paragraph of this Article shall be worked 

out and announced by the department of agriculture administration under

the State Council.



Article 6 In the event that a serious animal or plant epidemic occurs

abroad and is liable to spread into the country, the State Council shall

adopt emergent preventive measures and may, when necessary, issue orders 

to prohibit means of transport from animal or plant epidemic areas from

entering  the country or to blockade the relevant ports; the local

peoples' governments in areas threatened by the animal or plant epidemic

as well as the port animal and plant quarantine of fices concerned

shall immediately take emergency measures, and, at the same time, report

to the People's governments at higher levels and the State animal  and 

plant quarantine department.



The  departments of posts and telecommunications and  departments of 

transportation shall give priority to transmitting or transporting

reports concerning serious animal or plant epidemic or materials to be

sent for quarantine inspection.



Article 7 The State animal and plant quarantine department and  port 

animal and plant quarantine offices shall practise a  quarantine 

supervision system in relation to the procedures in  the production,

processing and storage of animals and plants and their products for

entry or exit.



Article 8 When a port animal and plant quarantine office is carrying out 

its tasks of quarantine inspection in seaports, airports,  railway or

coach stations, or post offices, relevant departments  such as the

Customs, departments of communications, civil aviation, or railways, and

postal services shall coordinate therewith.



Article  9  Any  quarantine functionary of an  animal  and  plant

quarantine organ must be devoted to his or her duties and enforce the

law impartially.



No unit or individual may obstruct a quarantine functionary of an animal 

and plant quarantine organ from carrying out his  or  her duties

according to law.

           

CHAPTER II ENTRY QUARANTINE



Article 10 Whoever imports animals, animal products, plant seeds,

seedlings or other propagating materials must submit an application in 

advance  and  go  through  the  formalities  for examination and

approval of quarantine inspection.



Article 11 Whoever imports animals and plants, their products or  other 

quarantine  objects through trade, scientific  and  technological 

cooperation,  exchanges, donations or aid shall specify in  the 

contracts or agreements the requirements for quarantine inspection

prescribed by China's law and the necessity of quarantine certificates

issued by the animal and plant quarantine department under  the

government  of  the  exporting country or region being  appended

therewith.



Article 12 The owner or his or her agent shall apply to the port animal 

and  plant  quarantine office at the port of entry for quarantine 

inspection of the animals and plants, their products or other quarantine

objects, before or on their entry, on the strength of documents such as

the quarantine certificates issued by the exporting country or region

and the trade contracts.



Article 13 On arrival at a port of a means of transport for carrying 

animals, the port animal and plant quarantine office shall  for  the 

prevention  of epidemics adopt on-the-spot preventive measures and

conduct disinfection of persons embarking on or disembarking from  the

means  of transport or having contracts with the animals, the means of

transport for carrying the animals and the contaminated fields.



Article  14 Import animals and plants, their products  and  other

quarantine  objects  shall be quarantined at the port  of  entry; 

without  consent of the port animal and plant quarantine office, the

same shall not be unloaded from the means of transport.

The import animals and plants that need to be placed in isolation for 

quarantine inspection shall be quarantined in  an  isolation court

designated by the port animal and plant quarantine office.



By reason of limited conditions at the port of entry, the State animal 

and  plant quarantine department may decide to have the animals  and

plants, their products or other quarantine objects transported  to a

designated  place for quarantine  inspection.  In the course  of

transportation, loading and unloading, the owner or his or her  agent 

shall take preventive measures against epidemics.



Designated places for storage, processing, isolated feeding or planting 

shall  conform to the provisions on animal and plant  quarantine and

epidemic prevention.



Article 15 The import animals and plants, their products or other

quarantine objects that pass the quarantine inspection are allowed to 

enter  the country; the Customs shall, after verification, release the

same on the strength of the quarantine certificates issued,  or the

stamps on the customs declaration forms affixed, by the port animal and

plant quarantine office.



In respect of the import animals and plants, their products or  other

quarantine objects that need to be transferred away from  a customs

surveillance zone for quarantine inspection, the Customs shall,  after

verification, release the same on the strength  of  the Quarantine

Transference Notice issued by the port animal  and plant quarantine

office.



Article 16 In respect of the import animals that fail in the quarantine 

inspection, the port animal and plant quarantine office shall issue the

Quarantine Treatment Notice notifying the owner or his or her agent to

deal with the said animals in either of the following manners:

(1) The animals that are found suffering from Class A  infectious  or 

parasitic  diseases, shall, together with all the  other  in-contact

animals, be returned or slaughtered with their carcasses destroyed; or

(2) The animals that are found suffering from Class B  infectious or 

parasitic diseases shall be returned or slaughtered; and the other in-

contact animals shall be placed in an isolation camp  or any other

designated place for observation.



In respect of import animal products or other quarantine objects  that

fail in the quarantine inspection, the port animal and plant quarantine 

office shall issue the Quarantine Treatment Notice notifying the owner 

or his or her agent to conduct such treatments as disinfection and

disinfestation,  returning or destruction. The products or objects

that pass the quarantine inspection after a treatment of disinfection

and disinfestation are allowed to enter the country.



Article 17 On discovering through quarantine inspection that import 

plants, plant products or other quarantine objects are contaminated with

diseases, pests or weeds dangerous to plants, the port animal and plant

quarantine office shall issue the Quarantine Treatment Notice notifying

the owner or his or her agent to conduct such treatments as disinfection

and  disinfestation, returning or destruction. Those that pass  the

quarantine  inspection  after  a treatment  of  disinfection  and

disinfestation are allowed to enter the country.



Article  18 The catalogues of the Class A and Class B  infectious or 

parasitic diseases of animals specified in Article 16, paragraph 1,

Items 1 and 2 of this Law and the catalogues of the diseases, pests or

weeds dangerous to plants specified in Article 17 of this Law shall  be

worked out and announced by the department of agriculture administration

under the State Council.



Article 19 On discovering through quarantine inspection that import 

animals and plants, their products or other quarantine objects  are

contaminated with diseases, insect pests or harmful organisms which are

not covered by the catalogues specified in Article 18 of this Law but

are extremely harmful to agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and

fishery, the port animal and plant quarantine office shall,  in

accordance with relevant regulations of the department of agriculture

administration under the State Council, notify the owner or his or  her

agent to conduct such treatments as disinfection and  disinfestation,

returning  or destruction. Those that pass the quarantine inspection 

after  a treatment of disinfection and disinfestation are allowed to

enter the country.



CHAPTER III EXIT QUARANTINE



Article 20 The owner, or his or her agent, of exit animals and plants,

their products or other quarantine objects shall, before their  exit,

submit an application for quarantine inspection to the port animal and

plant quarantine office.



The  animals that need to the placed in isolation for  quarantine

inspection before exit shall be quarantined in an isolation court

designated by the port animal and plant quarantine office.



Article  21  Export animals and plants, their products  or  other

quarantine  objects shall be quarantined by the port animal and  plant 

quarantine  office, and those that pass the quarantine inspection or

conform to  the standards after a  treatment of disinfection and

disinfestation are allowed to leave the country. The Customs shall, 

after verification, release the same on the strength of the quarantine

certificates issued, or the stamps on the customs declaration forms

affixed,  by the port animal and plant quarantine office. Those that

fail in the quarantine inspection  and are unable to be treated by 

disinfection  and disinfestation with effective methods shall not be

allowed to leave the country.



Article 22 Where the animals and plants, their products or  other

quarantine objects that pass the quarantine inspection are involved in

any of the following circumstances, the owner or his or her agent shall

re-apply for quarantine inspection:

(1) Where the importing country or region is changed, and the changed 

importing country or region has different requirements for quarantine

inspection;

(2) Where the packings are changed or the unpacked products or objects

are subsequently packed;

(3) Where the stipulated valid period of quarantine is exceeded.

          

CHAPTER IV TRANSIT QUARANTINE



Article 23 Whoever requests a transit of animals through the Chinese

territory must obtain in advance and through consultation the consent 

of  China's  State animal and plant quarantine department and  the 

transit must be conducted through the designated port and route.

The means of transport, containers, feeding stuffs and bedding materials

for the animals in transit must all conform to China's regulations on

animal and plant quarantine.



Article 24 The transit of animals and plants, their products or other

quarantine objects requires the consignor or the escort to submit at the

port of entry the bills of lading and the quarantine certificates issued

by the animal and plant quarantine department under the government of

the exporting country or region to the port animal and plant quarantine

office  for quarantine inspection. No further quarantine inspection is

needed at the port of exit.



Article 25 The transit animals that pass the quarantine inspection are

allowed to pass through the country; and in case any infectious or

parasitic disease of animals specified in the catalogues as stipulated

in Article 18 of this Law is discovered, the entire flock of the animals

shall not be allowed to transit.



The transit animals' feeding stuffs that are contaminated with diseases,

insect pests or harmful organisms shall be subjected to such treatments

as disinfection and disinfestation, denial of transit or destruction.

The carcasses, excrements, bedding materials and other wastes  of the 

transit animals must be disposed of in accordance with the  regulations 

of the animal and plant quarantine department, and may not be cast away

without authorization.



Article 26 The port animal and plant quarantine office shall examine the

means of transport and the packings, in respect of the transit plants,

animal and plant products or other quarantine objects, which are allowed

to transit through the country if they pass the quarantine inspection;

in case any disease, insect pest or harmful organism specified in the

catalogues as stipulated in Article 18 of this Law is discovered, it

shall be subjected to a treatment of disinfection and disinfestation or 

denial  of transit.



Article 27 Animals and plants, their products or other quarantine

objects,  in the course of their transit, may not be unpacked  or

discharged  from the means of transport without the approval  of the

animal and plant quarantine organ.

 

CHAPTER V QUARANTINE OF MATERIALS CARRIED BY PASSENGERS OR BY POST



Article 28 Whoever intends to carry or post plant seeds,  seedlings 

or other propagating materials into the country must submit  an

application in advance and go through the formalities for examination

and approval of quarantine inspection.



Article 29 The catalogues of the animals and plants, their products and

other quarantine objects that are not allowed to be carried or  posted 

into the country shall be worked out and announced by the department of

agriculture administration under the State Council.



In case any animals or plants, animal or plant products or  other

quarantine  objects specified in the catalogues mentioned in  the

preceding paragraph are carried or posted into the country, they  shall

either be returned or destroyed.



Article 30 Whoever enters the country carrying animals or plants, animal 

or plant products or other quarantine objects which are not included in

the catalogues specified in Article 29 of this Law shall declare them to

the Customs at the port of entry and accept the quarantine inspection by

the port animal and plant quarantine office.



Whoever carries animals into the country must hold such papers as

quarantine certificates issued by the exporting country or region.



Article 31 The port animal and plant quarantine office shall, in respect 

of the animals and plants, their products or other quarantine objects

not included in the catalogues specified in Article 29 of this Law,

carry out quarantine inspection at the International Postage Exchange

Bureau, or, when necessary, take the same back to the port animal and

plant quarantine office for quarantine inspection; and the same shall

not  be  transported or delivered without  undergoing  quarantine

inspection.



Article  32 Animals or plants, animal or plant products or  other

quarantine objects that enter the country by post shall be released if

they pass the quarantine inspection or conform to the standards after

the treatment of disinfection and disinfestation; those that fail in

quarantine inspection and are unable to be treated by disinfection and

disinfestation with effective methods shall be returned or destroyed,

and the Quarantine Treatment Notice shall be issued.



Article 33 The animals or plants, animal or plant products or other 

quarantine objects that are carried or posted out of the country  shall 

be  quarantined by the port animal and plant quarantine office, upon

request by the owner thereof.

       

CHAPTER VI QUARANTINE OF MEANS OF TRANSPORT



Article 34 Ships, airplanes or trains from the animal or plant epidemic 

areas shall, upon their arrival at the port, be quarantined by the port

animal and plant quarantine office. In the event any disease, insect

pest or harmful organism specified in the catalogues  mentioned  in

Article 18 of this Law is discovered, the cargoes shall be subjected to

such treatments as prohibition from discharge from the means  of 

transport, disinfection and disinfestation, sealing up or destruction.



Article 35 Vehicles entering the country shall be disinfected for

epidemic prevention by the port animal and plant quarantine office.



Article 36 The swills and wastes of animal or plant nature on the means 

of  transport entering or leaving the country shall be disposed of in

accordance with the regulations of the port animal and plant quarantine

office and may not be cast away without authorization.



Article 37 The means of transport carrying export animals and plants,

their products or other quarantine objects shall  conform to  the

regulations on animal and plant quarantine and epidemic prevention.



Article  38  The old and disused ships entering the  country  for

disassembling purposes shall be quarantined by the port animal and plant

quarantine office. In the event that diseases, insect pests or harmful

organisms specified in the catalogues mentioned in Article 18 of this

Law are discovered, the said ships shall be subjected to a treatment of

disinfection and disinfestation.



CHAPTER VII LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY



Article 39 Whoever, in violation of this Law, commits any of  the

following  acts  shall be fined by the port animal and  plant 

quarantine office:

(1) Failing to apply for quarantine inspection or failing to go through 

the  formalities for examination and approval of quarantine inspection

in accordance with the law;

(2) Unloading animals or plants, animal or plant products or  other 

quarantine objects entering the country from the means of transport  or 

transporting  or delivering the same, without permission of the port

animal and plant quarantine office;

(3) Transferring or disposing of, without authorization, the animals or 

plants  subjected to quarantine inspection in an isolation  court 

designated by the port animal and plant quarantine office.



Article 40 Where the animals or plants, animal or plant  products or

other quarantine objects declared for quarantine inspection do not 

conform to the actual conditions, the applicant shall be fined by the

port animal and plant quarantine office; and the quarantine certificates

already obtained shall be revoked.



Article 41 Whoever, in violation of this Law and without authorization,

unpacks  the packings of transit animals or plants, animal or plant

products or other quarantine objects, discharges transit  animals  or

plants, animal or plant products or other quarantine objects from the

means of transport, or casts away  transit  animals'  carcasses,

excrements, bedding materials or other wastes, shall be fined by the 

port animal and plant quarantine office.



Article 42 Whoever violates the provisions of this Law and causes a 

serious  animal or plant epidemic shall be investigated for criminal 

responsibility by applying mutatis mutandis  the provisions of Article

178 of the Criminal Law.



Article 43 Whoever forges or alters the quarantine certificates, stamps, 

marks or seals shall be investigated for criminal responsibility in

accordance with the provisions of Article 167 of the Criminal Law.



Article 44 If a party is not satisfied with the decision on punishment

made by an animal and plant quarantine organ, it may, within 15  days 

after  receipt of the notification of the punishment, apply for

reconsideration to the organ at the next higher level over the  organ

that has made the decision on punishment; the party may also  directly

bring a suit in a people's court within 15 days after receipt of the 

notification of the punishment.



The reconsideration organ shall, within 60 days after receipt  of the 

application for reconsideration, make a reconsideration decision. If the

party is not satisfied with the reconsideration decision, it may, within 

15 days after receipt of the reconsideration decision, bring a suit in a 

people's  court.  If the reconsideration organ fails to  make  a 

reconsideration  decision within the prescribed period, the party may

bring a  suit  within  15 days after  the  expiration  of  the 

period  for reconsideration.



If the party neither applies for reconsideration within the  time 

limit,  nor brings a suit in a people's court, nor complies with the

decision on punishment, the organ that has made the decision on

punishment may apply to a people's court for compulsory execution.



Article 45 Where a quarantine functionary of an animal and  plant

quarantine organ who abuses his or her power, practises favouritism or 

embezzlement, forges a quarantine result, or neglects his or her duty or

delays the performance of quarantine inspection and  the issuance  of 

certificates, criminal responsibility shall be investigated according to

law  if  the  offence constitutes a crime; if the offence does not

constitute a crime, the offender shall be subjected to  administrative

sanctions.

        

CHAPTER VIII SUPPLEMENTARY PROVISIONS



Article 46 As used in this Law, the following terms respectively mean:

(1) "Animals" mean the live animals, whether domesticated or wild, such

as livestock, poultry, beasts, snakes, tortoises, fishes, shrimps  and

prawns, crabs, shellfishes, silkworms and bees;

(2) "Animal products" mean the non-processed products or the processed

products, from animals, still liable to spread epidemic diseases,  such 

as raw hides, hairs, meats, viscerae, fat and grease, aquatic  animal

products, dairy products, eggs, blood, semens, embryos, bones, hoofs and

horns;

(3) "Plants" mean cultivated plants, wild plants, their seeds and

seedlings and other propagating materials;

(4) "Plant products" mean the non-processed products or the processed

products, from plants, still liable to spread diseases, insect pests or

harmful organisms, such as grain, beans, cotton, oils, fibres, tobacco, 

kernel,  dried fruits, fresh fruits, vegetables, raw medicinal herbs,

logs and feeding stuffs;

(5) "Other quarantine objects" mean animal vaccine, blood  serum,

diagnostic reagents, wastes of animal or plant nature.



Article  47  If provisions of this Law contravene  those  of  the

international treaties concerning animal and plant quarantine which the

People's Republic of China has concluded or to which China is a  party,

the provisions of the international treaties concerned shall prevail,

with the exception of the treaty clauses on which the People's Republic 

of  China has declared reservations.



Article 48 Port animal and plant quarantine offices shall collect fees, 

according to relevant regulations, for performing quarantine inspection.

The measures for the collection of fees shall be worked out  by  the 

department of agriculture administration  under the State Council 

together with the competent departments such as the pricing department 

under the State Council.



Article 49 The State Council shall, on the basis of this Law, formulate

the implementing regulations.



Article  50 This Law shall come into force as of April 1, 1992. The 

Regulations of the People's Republic of China on the Import and  Export

Animal and Plant Quarantine promulgated by the State Council on June 4,

1982 shall be annulled simultaneously.







Source: 中华人民共和国商务部