Emergency Notice from the General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture on Further Standardizing the Inspection and Quarantine of Live Pig Slaughter

　　On July 13, the 13th edition of the People's Daily published a special report titled “How Illegally Slaughtered Meat Makes Its Way to the Dining Table.” While highlighting the existence of numerous illegal slaughterhouses in Guilin City, Guangxi Province—where illegally slaughtered live pigs and pigs that died from disease are mixed in and directly threaten public health—the report also revealed that some animal quarantine inspectors have violated relevant provisions of the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law by issuing certificates, affixing seals, and accepting payments, thereby cloaking illegally slaughtered meat in a veneer of legality and allowing it to reach consumers’ tables. This has had a serious negative impact on society. To further standardize the quarantine inspection of live pig slaughter and effectively ensure the quality and safety of animal products, we hereby issue the following urgent notice:

　　 1. Attach great importance to the supervision and regulation of pork product quality and safety. Strengthening the supervision and regulation of pork product quality and safety is a key focus and important task in this year’s national food safety efforts. The “Notice from the General Office of the State Council on Issuing the 2011 Key Work Arrangements for Food Safety” (Guobanfa [2011] No. 12) lays out a comprehensive plan for enhancing the integrated management of fresh meat and meat products. Furthermore, the “Notice from the Office of the State Council Food Safety Commission on Issuing the Special Rectification Plan for ‘Lean Meat Powder’” (Shianban [2011] No. 14) and the “Notice from the Ministry of Agriculture on Issuing the Key Tasks for the 2011 Rectification of Agricultural Product Quality and Safety” (Nongzhifa [2011] No. 3) put forward additional requirements and specific arrangements. This incident highlights that some localities have insufficient awareness, inadequate attention, and ineffective implementation of pork product quality and safety supervision. Animal husbandry and veterinary authorities at all levels, as well as animal health supervision agencies, must further enhance their awareness, strictly adhere to the provisions of the “Animal Epidemic Prevention Law” and the deployment and requirements of the State Council, carry out solid and comprehensive management of fresh meat and meat products, conscientiously perform their statutory duties in inspecting and supervising pig slaughter according to law, and ensure the quality and safety of pork products.

　　 II. Actively cooperate in the crackdown on illegal and unregulated slaughter of live pigs. According to the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on the Administration of Pig Slaughter," no entity or individual may engage in pig slaughter activities without obtaining a designated slaughterhouse license—except for individuals in rural areas who slaughter and consume pigs they raise themselves. Document No. 12 [2011] issued by the General Office of the State Council also explicitly prohibits unauthorized and excessive slaughter as well as the slaughter and sale of livestock and poultry that have died from disease or are diseased. It further mandates cracking down on the processing and sale of water-injected meat, meat and its products that have not passed quarantine and inspection. The animal husbandry and veterinary authorities at all levels, together with animal health supervision agencies, shall actively cooperate with the commerce departments to rigorously implement the planning for the establishment of designated pig slaughterhouses, carry out comprehensive special rectifications targeting illegal and excessive pig slaughter, effectively strengthen the management of the slaughter industry, and severely punish all instances of unauthorized and excessive slaughter. Any illegally operated pig slaughter sites or illegally slaughtered pork discovered must be promptly reported and handed over to the commerce department and other relevant authorities for lawful investigation and punishment. We will absolutely not tolerate indifference, laissez-faire practices, or even allowing illegally slaughtered meat to bear quarantine stamps or receive certificates of quarantine compliance.

　　 III. Strictly carry out pig slaughter inspection and quarantine in accordance with the law. The animal husbandry and veterinary authorities and animal health supervision agencies in all localities shall, in strict accordance with the Animal Epidemic Prevention Law, the Management Measures for Animal Quarantine, and the relevant animal quarantine procedures, legally dispatch quarantine personnel to designated pig slaughterhouses. They shall conduct rigorous quarantine inspections on slaughtered pigs according to the statutory scope of quarantine, quarantine procedures, and judgment criteria. Pig carcasses that pass the quarantine inspection shall be stamped with a quarantine seal and provided with an Animal Quarantine Certificate, allowing them to be put on the market for sale. Pig carcasses and their products that fail the quarantine inspection shall, in accordance with the law, be supervised by slaughterhouse operators to undergo harmless treatment. Any pork products found during inspections that have not undergone quarantine shall be subject to administrative penalties and administrative measures in accordance with the law. It is strictly prohibited to substitute administrative penalties with fees for retroactive quarantine inspections, or even to illegally affix quarantine seals and issue quarantine certificates to pork products that have not been quarantined. Relevant persons bearing responsibility shall be seriously dealt with in accordance with the law; if their actions constitute a crime, they shall be referred to the competent authorities for criminal prosecution in accordance with the law.

　　 IV. Strengthen animal health supervision and law enforcement efforts across the board. All localities must strictly follow the arrangements made at the National Conference on Animal Health Supervision and the "Notice of the General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture on Further Standardizing Animal Health Supervision and Law Enforcement" (Nongban Yi [2011] No. 11), and further implement the relevant provisions and requirements of the "Animal Epidemic Prevention Law" and the "Several Opinions of the State Council on Promoting the Reform of the Veterinary Management System" (Guofa [2005] No. 15). They should adopt strong measures to steadily advance the construction of the animal health supervision and law enforcement system, and effectively address the deep-seated issues currently hindering the healthy development of animal health supervision and law enforcement work. In particular, they should carry out in-depth special rectifications of the animal health supervision and law enforcement teams, comprehensively strengthen the building of grassroots animal health supervision institutions, and effectively tackle prominent problems such as insufficient staffing, inadequate financial support, and low staff qualifications. They should also standardize animal quarantine practices, enhance the level of supervision and law enforcement, earnestly fulfill all statutory duties related to the supervision of animal health and animal product safety, and ensure that the public can truly enjoy “safe and reassuring meat.”

　　July 13, 2011