MOA to strengthen supervision to prevent safety risk of pesticides

    Summary: In early-July, the office of MOA issued an notice of strengthening supervision to effectively prevent safety risk of pesticides. The notice is in line with the General Secretary Xi Jinping's guiding principle of hazardous substance control, quality safety of agricultural products and work safety, the deployment of the Political and Legislative Affairs Committee of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Food Safety Commission of the State Council and the Work Safety Commission of the State Council and the Regulation on Pesticide Administration. The processes covering production, trade, application and administration of pesticides will be supervised.   

    In early-July, the office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MOA) issued an notice of strengthening supervision to effectively prevent safety risk of pesticides. The notice requires to implement the responsibility of work safety of pesticides, strengthen supervision and inspection of trade of pesticides, increase efforts to crack down on illegal online sales of pesticides, reinforce guidance and supervision of pesticide application and improve the awareness of pesticide safety risk management.   

    Attentions should be paid to supervise the responsibility of pesticide work safety. According to the notice, local pesticide supervision departments will strengthen monitoring and guiding producing companies of high-toxicity and high-risk pesticides. Thorough inspections will be launch to check if producing companies engaged in high-toxic pesticides, hazardous chemicals and inflammable and explosive raw materials have obtained relevant registration certificates, production permits or met production standards, to check if they have production and sales ledgers and electric sourcing system, to check if the production of pesticide TC (TK) and the sub-contract production are legal and to check if the company quality management systems are complete. Illegal productions and trades will be dealt with. Pesticide companies will be urged to fulfill the responsibility of work safety and environmental protection to prevent work safety accidents.    

    As for pesticide application, according to the notice, supervision and checks on the use of pesticides on cowpea, Chinese chives and celery will be launched. Besides, guidance will be given to farmers for scientific application of pesticides, including prohibiting the use of nationally-banned pesticides, following the specifications on the labels and implementing the safety interval system of pesticides, so as to build up the awareness that unqualified agricultural products are not allowed on the market, and correct the misconception that out-of-scope application of pesticides are allowed.