On 30 Dec 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs released 192 GM crops to be issued with GMO safety certificate, of which 3 were homegrown grain crops with herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits. Since the last time China approved food GM crops was in 2009, this move was interpreted by some analysts as another attempt to promote the commercial plantation of GM grain crops. Seed companies thus became increasingly sought after by investors on the stock market as GM grain crops would be commercially planted as soon as the next 2 or 3 years. Homegrown GM Food Crops Only GM crops issued with GMO biosafety certificates can be imported and consumed in China, but there are two more administrative steps to commercializing a plantation: the crop variety examination and the seed license. In 2009, MoA (now known as MoARA) issued 3 GMO safety certificates to 2 insect-resistant rice varieties developed by HZAU( Huazhong Agricultural University) and 1 transgenic phytase maize co-developed by CAAS( Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science) and Origin Seed, but the remaining procedures were stalled due to strong public opposition after a series of GM food-related scandals. The GM grain crops announced this time are 2 maize and 1 soybean developed by indigenous institutions, and the traits and permitted planting regions are as follows: GM Food Crop Developer Trait Region DBN Maize Da Bei Nong Group Bt Cry1Ab, CP4 EPSPS Spring maize zone in Northern China Dual-resistant Maize Ruifeng Biotech and Zhejiang University Cry1Ab/Cry2Aj, G10evo EPSPS SHZD Soybean Shanghai Jiao Tong University Glyphosate-tolerant soybean zone in Southern China Analyzing Necessity Given the fact that no biosafety certi

In response to the tension supply of disinfectants caused by 2019 Novel Coronavirus, the National Health Commission announced on Feb. 3 that disinfectants containing alcohols, chlorines, chlorine dioxide and peroxyacetic acid can be temporarily exempted from full record-filing formality at provincial health department.

On 18 Dec 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs issued the “Plan for the Trial Implementation of Quality Certificate of Agricultural Products Nationwide”, aimed to promote safety and correctly use of pesticides, veterinary drugs and other agricultural inputs. Indigenous growers and farmer above designated size need to issue the quality certificate prior to placing their agricultural products on the market.

On Dec 20, 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs release the result of national supervisor and spot inspection on fertilizer during the second half of the year. The overall qualification rate was 86.9% but the qualification rate of organic fertilizer was less than 80%, mainly due to disqualified water content, organic matter content and excessive microbial contaminants.

On 17 Dec 2019, the State Administration of Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration Commission jointly issued the mandatory national standard, “GB 38400-2019 Limitation Requirements of Toxic and Harmful Substance in Fertilizers”, which will take effect on 1 Jul 2020.

On Nov 27, 2019, the South Korean Ministry of Environment announced an amendment to the “Designation of Household Chemical Products Subject to Safety Verification and Safety and Labeling Standards”. The main contents in this amendment are to prohibit microbead from household cleaning products, the production and importation of humidifier liquid that added with chemicals and natural extract substance as well as the air filter uses of 5 respiratory-inhibitive substances including Polyhexamethyleneguanidine (PHMG), ethoxyethylguanidine chloride (PGH), poly (hexamethylene biguanide) hydrochloride (PHMB), methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and 5-chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT). Red seal ink pads, correction liquid/tape and Fog fluid for performance use are newly designated as the product subject to safety verification and the total number of product items has increased from 35 to 38 and their safety standards are as follows: Item Prohibited Substance Restrictive Substance and Limit Red seal ink pads Arsenic, Cadmium Mercury 500 mg / kg, Lead 500 mg / kg Correction fluids and tapes Benzene, Tetrachloroethylene (TCE)   Fog fluid for performance / Ethylene Glycol 10%, Diethylene Glycol 10% The uses of water-insoluble solid plastics up to 5 micrometers in cleansers, removers, laundry detergents, bleaches and fabric softeners shall be prohibited. In addition, mercury was designated as the prohibited substance in 4 types of biocidal products including fungicides, algaecides, insect repellents and wood preservatives and the tolerance limit will be 1 mg/kg. The designation of household chemical products subject to safety verification and safety and labeling standards is an important component of Korean biocide regulation, “Law 15511-Act on the

On 15 Aug 2019, the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs and the State Administration of Market Regulation jointly issued the “GB 2763-2019 National Food Safety Standard: Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides in Foods”, which will take effect on 15 Feb 2020. The one major new feature in this release is that the number of MRLs in GB 2763-2019 for the first time exceeds those developed by Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC standard), the most universally recognized pesticide MRL standard in the world, marking another new step forward in food safety and agricultural trade. In this article, we will explain the evolution if this regulation and introduce its main features based on comparative analysis, sharing some prospects on the future trend of China's pesticide MRL regulation. large Numbers of MRLs for Food Categories Specified by GB 2763-2019 Recent Updates In the past, the former Ministry of Health (now referred to as NHC) was mainly responsible for developing pesticide MRLs in the form of food hygienic safety standards, while the Ministry of Agriculture (now referred to as MoARA) also developed a series of MRLs as quality standards for agricultural commodities. Until 2009, China enacted the Food Safety Law and MoA was designated to develop pesticide MRLs and relevant testing methods. The ministry began to organize the previously disparate MRLs and released the first unified MRL regulation,  GB 2763-2012, which has then been revised amost every 2 years: Development of GB 2763 Series: a Full Timeline Code year of issue Number of Pesticides Number of MRLs GB 2763-2012 2012 322 2293 GB 2763-2014 2014 387 3650 GB 2763-2016

Recently, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the national MRL standard for veterinary drugs in food, GB 31650-2019. A total of 2197 MRLs for 267 veterinary drugs in animal products will take effect on 1 April 2020, essentially covering the veterinary drugs and animal products used in China.