China and EU hold workshop on traceability of agricultural products

Ministry of AgricultureA Department of International Cooperation and Delegation of the European Union to China jointly held EU-China Workshop on Traceability of Agricultural Products in Beijing from March 28 to 29.
 
Experts from both sides introduced practices and cases of the establishment of agri-product traceability system, and exchanged information about government supervision of animal products, plant products, and processed agri-products, as well as quality control of businesses.

Deputy Director-General Liu Yingjie of MOA Department of International Cooperation stated in opening remarks that EU formulated more strict food labeling and traceability law to tackle food security issues in 1990s. As EU plays a leading role in food labeling and traceability worldwide, there are many successful practices of EU that could be drawn on by other countries in identification, early warning, restriction, recall and management.
 
Liu pointed out that China also accumulated experience and lessons that are worth sharing while enjoying fast growth. He emphasized that China issued a series of laws and regulations to ensure food safety, such as Food Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China and Law of the People’s Republic of China on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products. These laws and regulations already strengthened food management, in particular the food traceability system in China. Measures for Management of Animal Immunization Identification promulgated by MOA and Chinese Barcode Promotion Project initiated by AQSIQ also laid a solid foundation for further improving national food safety traceability system.
 
Deputy Director-General Li Zhenzhong of MOFCOM Department of Market Supervision introduced the latest developments of traceability system for meat and vegetables. In some big and medium cities in China, pilot projects are in progress to overcome the difficulty of tracing the source of meat and vegetables. Li stressed that traceability system would play an important role in improving overall national food safety in circulation sector.
 
The Workshop aimed to provide a platform for both China and EU to exchange latest information and practices about safety management and traceability system of agri-products, explore potentials for cooperation, and carry forward development of both sides in relevant areas concerning traceability of agri-products.
 
The Workshop is expected to offer new insights into supervision of both countries on the quality and safety of agri-products, and have a positive impact on China-EU agricultural trade.
 
The Workshop was attended by senior officials from departments of MOA, MOFCOM and AQSIQ, as well as experts and scholars from home and abroad.