• All commercial fertilizers will be labeled and rated as ecological grade, field grade and garden grade, which correspond to their permitted application area of organic agriculture, ordinary agriculture and garden use respectively;

• Fertilizers with higher grade are subject to more stringent requirements on hazards, maximal limits of heavy metals, organic and microbial contaminants and veterinary antibiotics;

• Terrestrial plant growth test would be required for novel products prior to the placement on the market;

• Disclosure of plant growth hormone ingredient and raw materials in ecological grade fertilizers will be mandatorily required;

On 4 Dec 2017 China MIIT opened a 30-day consultation on the pending mandatory standard, “Fertilizer Grading and Requirements”. Depending on hazard identification result and harmful substance content, all fertilizers will be rated and labeled as ecological grade fertilizer, field grade fertilizer and garden grade fertilizer, which correspond to their permitted application area of organic agriculture, ordinary agriculture and garden use respectively.