China’s Pesticide Risk Assessment Model and Related Guidance Documents are Gradually Improved

Risk assessment reports are a new feature in pesticide registration. In 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs developed a model of surface water exposure for pesticide dry-land, which solved the previous limitation in the inability to evaluate surface water in the early stages.

Consultation Draft on Featured Minor Crops Released

In March 2019, the Department of Crop production, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, together with the Institute for the Control of Agrochemical, Ministry of Agriculture(ICAMA) organized and formulated the List of Minor Crops for Minor-crop Use Pesticide Registration 2019 Edition, List of Crop and Pest Groups for Efficacy Trail on Minor-crop Use Pesticides (2019 Edition) and List of Crop and Pest Groups for Residue Trail on Minor-crop Use Pesticides 2019 Edition according to Administrative Measures for the Registration of Pesticide and Data Requirements on Pesticide Registration. It would be as a reference when organizing Minor crop pesticide registration and review.

China’s New Version of Food Pesticide Residue Limits is Published

On August 15, 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the National Health Commission and the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) jointly issued the GB 2763-2019 National Food Safety Standard: Maximum Residue Limits of Pesticides in Foods. It sets a limit of 7,107 residues of 483 pesticides in 356 food products. Compared with the 2016 edition, there were 50 new types of pesticides and 2,967 pesticide residue limits, the number of types of pesticides and product limits exceeded the number established by the Codex Alimentarius Commissions (CAC) for the first time, marking a new level of pesticide residue limit standards in China.

 Application for Change of Holder of Pesticide Registration Certificate is Standardized

Since November 1, 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has incorporated the service for the change of holders of pesticide registration certificates into its list of government services. That is, applications for change of pesticide registration certificate holders, pesticide registration certificate or label replacements, pesticide registration certificate or label corrections, additions to the pesticide registration database, amendment to license of or registrants and producers as well as the reissuing of certificate of designated testing facility for pesticide registration, among others. Applicants need to log onto the “China Pesticide Digital Supervision & Management Platform” to submit an application online and send the necessary information through the window of the Government Service of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

A Total of 14 Batches of Approved Pesticide Registration and Testing Units Under China’s New Regulations on the Administration of Pesticides Have Been Announced

From February to November 2019, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs published 111 approved pesticide registration and testing units in the 3rd to 14th batches in accordance with the Administrative License Law and the Regulation on Pesticide Administration. Adding the first and second batches announced in 2018, a total of 36 pesticide registration and testing units were approved by the government and 147 of which 28 laboratories were approved through multiple tests. Among them, 33 have obtained product chemical test identification, 13 have obtained toxicological test identification, 72 have obtained pharmacodynamic test identification, 44 have obtained residual test identification laboratory, and 21 have obtained environmental impact test identification.