WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. — China is in the process of implementing a revised regulatory and registration system for imported feed and feed additives, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported on Dec. 7.

Under this system, companies need to complete the following three steps before they can export feed ingredients or additives to China:

-Obtain an import registration license from the China’s Ministry of Agriculture.

-Apply for market access with the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

- Have their manufacturing facility be registered by AQSIQ.

This process can include an audit, which must be paid for by the exporter. Products considered to be “traditionally traded” by AQSIQ can continue to be exported to China while they complete steps two and three. China’s Ministry of Agriculture registration process typically takes several months, while the market access and registration with process AQSIQ can take two or more years.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and National Feed Management Office under China’s Ministry of Agriculture and the Department for Supervision of Animal and Plant Quarantine under AQSIQ are charged with regulating the importation and marketing of feed and feed additives in China.

China’s Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for managing catalogs of feed materials, feed additives and medical feed additives. Only those substances included in the catalogs are permitted to be used in animal feed production. China’s Ministry of Agriculture is also responsible for issuing import registration licenses for feed ingredients and additives.

Under China’s Ministry of Agriculture regulations, the following feed ingredients and additives are subject to import registration licensing: pre-mixture, concentrate, compound, supplementary feed, single feed ingredients and feed additives. Overseas manufacturing facilities wishing to export these products to China are required to apply for an import registration license through a China-based agent.