Ministry of Agriculture Proposes Amending Law to Align with Food Safety Law

Our newspaper report, reporter Chen Liping. The reporter recently learned from the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress that the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Food and Drug Administration believe that in 2013 the State Council adjusted the food safety regulatory system, and in 2015 the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress revised the Food Safety Law. The Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products needs to be revised and improved in light of changes in the situation, aligned with the Food Safety Law, and used to promptly resolve prominent problems in the field of the quality and safety of agricultural products.

At the Third Session of the 12th National People's Congress held in March this year, Yang Hongbo and 30 other deputies submitted a motion proposing an amendment to the Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products. The motion stated that the source of food safety regulation lies in agricultural products; the current Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products does not clearly define the regulatory powers and obligations of agricultural departments in the purchasing, storage, and transportation of agricultural products; penalties for illegal acts such as failing to establish and keep production records for agricultural products as required are insufficient; and there are no corresponding penalties for illegal acts by new types of agricultural production entities in producing and selling substandard agricultural products. It proposed amending the Law on Quality and Safety of Agricultural Products, clarifying the responsibilities of regulatory departments, and increasing penalties.

The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress agrees with the opinions of the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Food and Drug Administration.