Recently, fourteen departments, including the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), and the Ministry of Public Security (MPS), jointly issued the Action Plan for the Special Governance of Quality and Safety of Online Sales of Industrial Products (2025–2027) (hereinafter referred to as the "Action Plan"). The plan explicitly proposes a three-year special governance campaign for industrial products sold online, in which agricultural inputs such as pesticides, fertilizers, and veterinary drugs are listed as "key products" for this governance. This indicates that the compliance of online sales of agrochemical products will face stricter regulatory scrutiny over the next three years.

I. Background and Objectives

With the in-depth development of e-commerce, online transactions of agricultural inputs have become increasingly active, but this has also been accompanied by risks such as unlicensed sales and counterfeit or substandard products. This Action Plan aims to implement the decisions of the Party Central Committee regarding the improvement of normalized supervision of the platform economy and to resolve prominent quality and safety issues with products sold online.

According to the objectives set by the Action Plan, by the end of 2027, China will have essentially established a long-term mechanism for the quality and safety supervision of online sales of industrial products. This will form a supervision system where "sources are traceable, processes are controllable, risks are preventable, and accountability is enforceable," significantly enhancing the quality and safety levels of products sold online.

II. Core Compliance Points

The Action Plan sets forth clear compliance requirements for the agrochemical industry and related practitioners. The core changes and key contents are summarized as follows:

· Clarify Scope of Supervision (Key Products):

 The plan explicitly lists agricultural inputs as a focus of governance, specifically covering pesticides, fertilizers, veterinary drugs, feeds, agricultural films, and agricultural machinery. This means sales of such products on e-commerce platforms (including live-streaming e-commerce and social e-commerce) will be subject to key monitoring.

· Strengthen Source Review (Market Access Mechanism):

 Regulatory authorities will promote the opening and networked verification of data regarding administrative licensing and mandatory certification.

o Compliance Obligations: Online trading platforms must strengthen the qualification review of merchants.

o Cleanup Targets: Focus on clearing out merchants with incomplete licenses, expired licenses, or operations exceeding their licensed scope, as well as unlicensed product information.

· Implement "Code Assignment and Verification" (Traceability and Anti-counterfeiting):

 The plan proposes promoting "code assignment and verification" for key products sold online, exploring the construction of a mechanism for "code assignment at production source, code verification and display by platforms, and code recognition and use by consumers."

o Key Actions: Utilizing codes to identify authenticity and trace sources, thereby resolving issues of "goods not matching descriptions" and counterfeit or substandard products.

· Regulate Live-streaming E-commerce (Emerging Channels):

 Targeting live-streaming e-commerce, the plan requires the establishment of a database of live marketing subjects and the monitoring of high-risk live-streaming activities.

o Key Strike Targets: The use of the internet to publish false or misleading product quality information, as well as abnormal products with prices significantly lower than the reasonable range.

III. Industry Impact Analysis

This special governance action will have a direct impact on the production and sales links of agrochemical enterprises:

1. Significantly Higher Thresholds for Online Sales: The "grey areas" where qualification audits were lax for some agricultural inputs sold online in the past will be eliminated. "Three-no" products (those without production licenses, pesticide registration certificates, etc.) will be forced off shelves, and associated stores will be closed or accounts banned.

2. Upgraded Requirements for Supply Chain Transparency: With the implementation of "code assignment and verification," enterprises need to ensure their product traceability code systems are complete and compliant. Products must be fully traceable not only in offline sales but also in online sales, placing new demands on the digital management capabilities of enterprises.

3. Monitoring of Price Systems: The plan specifically mentions screening for products with "prices significantly lower than the reasonable range." This means that dumping inferior agricultural inputs at low prices will be subject to big data monitoring, helping to maintain a fair market competition environment.

IV. Compliance Suggestions

In response to the requirements of the Action Plan, it is suggested that relevant agrochemical enterprises and e-commerce operators immediately undertake the following compliance work:

1. Self-inspection of Qualifications and Licenses:

o Production enterprises should ensure that key licenses, such as Production Licenses and Pesticide Registration Certificates, are complete and within their validity periods.

o Distributors should verify the qualifications of suppliers for the products they sell to ensure they do not sell unlicensed products or products with incomplete documentation.

2. Improve Traceability Systems:

o Actively respond to "code assignment and verification" requirements, ensuring that products leaving the factory strictly implement "one bottle, one code" or relevant traceability coding regulations, and truthfully display compliance information on e-commerce product detail pages.

3. Regulate Promotion and Live-streaming:

o When conducting live-streaming sales or online store promotions, strictly abide by the Advertising Law and relevant administration regulations for pesticides and fertilizers. Exaggerating efficacy, false advertising, or publishing misleading anti-counterfeiting information is strictly prohibited.

4. Establish Purchase and Sales Ledgers:

o E-commerce operators should establish real and complete purchase and sales ledgers to ensure all transaction records are traceable, in order to cope with "look-back" monitoring and unannounced inspections (flight inspections) by regulatory authorities.

V. Conclusion

The issuance of the Action Plan for the Special Governance of Quality and Safety of Online Sales of Industrial Products (2025–2027) marks the official entry of agricultural input e-commerce into an era of "strong supervision." While there is a transition period until the full establishment of a long-term supervision mechanism in 2027, regulatory actions have already begun. Enterprises should utilize this time to improve their internal compliance systems, effectively implement primary responsibility for quality and safety, and avoid potential risks of administrative penalties.

Disclaimer：This document is an AI-generated translation provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for clarity, it does not constitute a certified legal translation. In the event of any discrepancy or ambiguity, the original version shall prevail as the definitive text.