China has taken effective measures in the first half of 2006 to
prevent animal and plant diseases getting into the country as well
as stopping poisonous and harmful substances from arriving.
Ge Zhirong, vice minister of the State Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (SAQSIQ) announced the
success of the initiatives at a press conference in Beijing on
Thursday.
During the period Chinese authorities intercepted 1,905
varieties of pests in plants and plant products on 44,781 occasions
as well as 14 varieties of poisonous and harmful substances on 120
occasions, Ge said.
"We intercepted diseases as well as poisonous and harmful
substances in entry animals and animal products on 131 occasions,"
he added.
China has published 21 prohibition notices due to the H5N1
highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in poultry in countries
like Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Nigeria. They've also put in place a
further 18 prohibition notices in relation to the H5N1 outbreak
among wild migratory and?ornamental birds in the countries
like Kuwait, Cyprus and Italy, Ge explained. .
"We've inspected 110,200 batches of imported scrap material with
a total weight of 15.99 million tons and a value of US$4.599
billion of which 298 batches were unqualified," he added. China had
taken measures to strictly control the importation of copper
concentrates whose harmful content had exceeded acceptable
standards, Ge stated.
Ge explained that China had detected 5,683 people with different
types of diseases among those entering and exiting the country in
the first half of this year. This figure included 290 with HIV.
According to statistics released by the SAQSIQ, in the first
half of this year, quality supervision, inspection and quarantine
systems around the country gave health quarantines to 126 million
people coming into or leaving the country.
China provided health examinations for 595,800 people, HIV/AIDS
tests for 562,700 and vaccinations for 535,200.
Among those found to have health problems 1,393 were suffering
from a sexual disease, 329 had tuberculosis, 3,594 hepatitis and 77
other diseases.
The authorities also seized and destroyed 3,514 tons of
illegally imported meat products in the first half of this year,
said Ge.
Between January-June the SAQSIQ adjusted the approved list of
meat importing countries and companies six times. Although 169
foreign companies have been permitted to export meat to China the
meat products from 26 other registered foreign meat producers were
suspended due to quality or safety problems.
The administration also carried out quality and control checks
on 29 categories of imported products including rice, meat, plant
oil and cosmetics.
By the end of June this year 370 types of food in 29 categories
defined by national standards have been included in the production
license and market access system. This accounts for 70 percent of
all the food varieties. And 65,000 production licenses for food
have been issued. At present the administration is launching a
market access system for another 525 types of food under 28
categories defined by national standards.
The administration also carried out an overall survey on food
additive producers and explored the possibility of setting up a
registration system for such additives in order to prohibit their
illegal use.
(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2006)