Yesterday, the Ministry
of Commerce's Foreign Trade Department said food safety
standards in China will need to be improved for exports to satisfy
new EU and Japanese regulations that will come into force next
year.
A forum opened yesterday at which about 100 major agricultural
product exporters heard about the new standards' expected impact
from the State General Administration for Quality Supervision,
Inspection and Quarantine, Ministry of Agriculture and China
Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native
Produce and Animal By-Products, as well as from European Commission
officials.
The EU regulations will come into effect on January 1 and
Japan's from May.
?
The commerce ministry said 43.3 percent of China's agricultural
product exports were bought by the EU and Japan, and of all Chinese
exporting companies, 38 percent mainly do business with the
Japanese market and 27 percent with the EU.
Ministry officials said the new regulations "raised the
doorsill" for trading in both markets, and if domestic companies do
not improve their standards even popular products would be
affected.
The ministry said it plans to carry out training courses for
farmers and companies in major agricultural regions in the first
half of 2006.
(Xinhua News Agency November 29, 2005)