[Import Policy] Announcement of the General Administration of Customs on the phytosanitary requirements for imported Swedish oats

The official website of the General Administration of Customs released the General Administration of Customs Announcement No. 225 of 2025 (Announcement on Phytosanitary Requirements for Imported Swedish Oats). The following is the content of the announcement:

According to the relevant laws and regulations of my country and the regulations of the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (hereinafter referred to as the Chinese side) and the Swedish Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure (hereinafter referred to as the Swedish side) on the phytosanitary requirements for Swedish oats exported to China, from now on, the import of Swedish oats that meet the following relevant requirements is allowed:

　　1. Basis for inspection and quarantine

　　(1) 'Biosafety Law of the People's Republic of China';

　　(2) 'Law of the People's Republic of China on Entry and Exit Animal and Plant Quarantine' and its implementation regulations;

　　(3) 'Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China' and its implementation regulations;

　　(4) 'Measures of the People's Republic of China on Import and Export Food Safety Management';

　　(5) 'Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for Swedish Oats Exported to China' between the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China and the Swedish Ministry of Rural Affairs and Infrastructure.

　　2. Names of goods allowed to be imported

　　Oats (Avena sativa) in this announcement refer to non-seed oat seeds produced in Sweden and exported to China for consumption or food processing.

　　3. Permitted Origin

　　All of Sweden.

　　4. Enterprise registration

　　Enterprises that produce, process, and store oats exported to China must be registered with China to ensure that they comply with China’s inspection and quarantine requirements. The Swedish side should submit the list of production, processing and storage enterprises to the Chinese side in advance and register them after being reviewed and approved by the Chinese side. The Chinese side will publish the list of relevant enterprises on the website of the General Administration of Customs.

　　5. Pests of concern to China

　　Oats exported to China must not carry the following harmful organisms:

　　1. Tobacco ringspot virus

　　2. Tomato black ring virus

　　3. Barley stripe mosaic virusBarley stripe mosaic virus

　　4． Ambrosia artemisiifolia

　　5. Lolium temulentum

　　6． False sorghumSorghum halepense

　　7. French Wild Oats Avena ludoviciana

　　8. Claviceps purpurea

　　9. Wheat root rot Oculimacula yallundae

　　10． European wheat stem wasp Cephus pygmeus

　　11. Hessian gall midge Mayetiola destructor

　　12． Swedish wheat straw fly Oscinella frit

　　6. Pre-shipment requirements

　　(1) Production requirements.

　　1. The Swedish side should supervise enterprises to establish an integrated pest management system (IPM) to reduce the occurrence of pests of concern to China. When there is an outbreak of pests of concern to China or other dangerous pests in Sweden, the Swedish side should immediately suspend the export of oats from relevant areas to China, conduct investigations and take control measures. Export to China can be resumed only after review and approval by the Chinese side.

　　2． The Swedish side should supervise the planting, harvesting, storage, and transportation of oats exported to China. Before shipment, companies should take impurity removal measures such as screening to ensure that there is no soil, plant residues, weed seeds and other foreign impurities.

　　(2) Packaging and transportation requirements.

　　1. Oats exported to China should be transported in packaging, and the packaging used should be clean, hygienic, breathable, new, and made of materials that comply with China's plant quarantine and food safety requirements. Each packaging bag should be marked with 'This product is exported to the People's Republic of China' in clear Chinese characters, as well as traceability information such as the product name, the name of the production, processing, and storage company, and its Chinese registration number. The packaging and labeling of prepackaged oats for direct sale must comply with China’s Prepackaged Food Packaging and Labeling Management Regulations (GB 7718).

　　2． The means of transporting oats exported to China should comply with hygiene and epidemic prevention requirements, and should be thoroughly inspected before shipment to prevent the inclusion of weed seeds, live insects, other grain impurities, plant residues, soil, etc.

　　(3) Product requirements.

　　Oats exported to China should comply with China's entry plant quarantine and food safety laws, regulations and standards. They should be free of harmful organisms of concern to China, and should be free of live insects, mites, molluscs, soil, feathers, animal feces, weed seeds, branches and leaves and other animal and plant residues. They should not be intentionally added or mixed with other grains or foreign impurities.

　　(4) Pre-export inspection, quarantine and certificate requirements.

　　Before export, Sweden should implement inspection and quarantine on oats exported to China, issue a phytosanitary certificate for oats that meet the requirements, and indicate in English in the additional statement column: 'The consignment is in compliance with the requirements described in the Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of oats from Sweden to China, and is free from any pests concerned by China' (This batch of goods complies with the requirements of the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for Swedish Oats Exported to China and does not contain harmful organisms of concern to China). At the same time, the name of the company that produces, processes, and stores the goods and the Chinese registration number, as well as the transportation vehicle number and other traceability information are indicated. Goods where live insects are found should be fumigated before export, and the treatment indicators should be indicated on the phytosanitary certificate.

　　7. Entry Inspection and Quarantine

　　(1) Certificate verification.

　　1． Check whether it comes from a registered enterprise;

　　2． Verify whether the phytosanitary certificate is authentic and valid.

　　(2) Cargo inspection.

　　In accordance with relevant laws, administrative regulations, rules and other provisions, and in conjunction with this announcement, inspection and quarantine of oats will be implemented, and entry will be allowed after passing the inspection.

　　(3) Treatment of unqualified products.

　　1． If there is no valid phytosanitary certificate, it will be returned or destroyed;

　　2． Those from unregistered enterprises will be returned or destroyed;

　　3． If any genetically modified ingredients that have not been officially approved by China are found, they will be returned or destroyed;

　　4． If live quarantine pests or other live pests are found, if there is an effective treatment method, they will be disinfected; if there is no effective treatment method, they will be returned or destroyed;

　　5. Anyone found to be incompatible with China's entry animal and plant quarantine and food safety laws, regulations and standards will be dealt with in accordance with relevant regulations.

　　If the above-mentioned non-compliance is discovered, China will notify the Swedish side and, depending on the severity, take measures such as suspending the relevant enterprises’ qualifications to export to China until the Swedish side takes effective improvement measures.

　　Hereby announce.

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