China will step up surveillance over the safety of farm products
with the nation's first law on farm products safety expected to
take effect on November 1, deputy agriculture minister Niu Dui said
here Sunday.
"We must greatly strengthen the routine surveillance and spot
check of farm products, publicize the results to the public timely
and boost the safety awareness of farm products growers, processors
and traders," he said at a promotion ceremony of the new law in
Beijing's suburban Shunyi District.
Safety management is an important part of the agricultural
modernization and is critical to boosting the international
competitive edge of China's farm products, the deputy minister
said.
Though there has been an improvement in the general situation of
farm products safety, the reports of unsafe products were seen
frequently in China.
The latest example is the hairy crabs exported to Taiwan. Taiwan
health officials said they detected a carcinogen in a shipment of
the crabs, though the crab farmers insist that the crabs are
safe.
Niu said China has already set up a nationwide network of farm
products quality inspection agencies, including 12 at national
level, 311 at ministerial and 1,780 at provincial, municipal and
country levels.
The government plans to take five years to make such a network
more competent and efficient, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2006)
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