Registration of Feed and Feed Additive in China

Animal feed and feed additives (including pet food) must be registered with China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) before they can be exported to or sold in China. Overseas companies wishing to export animal feed and feed additives to China must apply for an import registration license for their products through a China-based agent and register actual manufacturing facilities with China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC).

Overview of Feed and Feed Additive Regulations in China

• Regulations on the Administration of Feeds and Feed Additives
• Measures for the Administration of Registration of Imported Feed and Feed Additives
• Administrative Measures for the Inspection and Quarantine Management of Imported Feeds and Feed Additives
• Catalog of Feed Ingredients and Additives
• GB 10648-2013 Feed Label

Feed and Feed Additive Registration in China

Feeds and feed additives that require import registration licenses in China include pre-mixture, concentrate, compound, supplementary feed, pet food, single feed ingredient and feed additives.

Only feed ingredients and additives listed in catalogue of approved feed additives can be used in animal feed products. New feed ingredients or feed additives must be approved by MARA first before they can be used in animal feeds.

Feed and Feed Additive Registration Process in China

Companies who export feed or feed additives to China must designate a China-based agent to apply to the MARA for an import registration license for their products. Depending on product composition, certain products may be exempt from registration and MARA will issue registration-exemption receipt for exempt products.

The whole registration process consists of four steps:

• Step 1: preparation of registration dossier according to MARA’s requirements.
• Step 2: submission of registration dossier to MARA via its online platform. MARA typically reviews submitted dossier within 20 working days.
• Step 3: delivery of product samples to an MARA designated lab for testing. The lab must notify the MARA of the test results within 3 months and send a copy to designated agent.
• Step 4: MARA will issue import registration license within 10 working days if the product passes testing.

The whole process can be described below.

Info Requirements for Feed and Feed Additive Registration in China

China MARA requires the following documents to be submitted and that all documents must be translated into Chinese:

• Application form;
• Domestic Agent’s business license;
• Power of attorney (authorization letter);
• Certificate of free sale (original) or feed manufacture licenses issued by the country of origin;
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for the DDGS product;
• Product of origin statement and product composition;
• GMO safety certificate (for DDGS only)
• Production process description and flow chart;
• Product quality standards;
• Product original label and Chinese label.
• Product description;
• Registration Certificates in other countries (if applicable).

Facility Registration with China GACC

Animal feed, feed additive and pet food production facilities must also be registered with China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) in order to be able to export to China. GACC currently maintains lists of registered facilities, and a facility must appear that GACC’s list before it can export to China.

Facility registration process is listed as follows:

Step 1: Overseas manufacturer prepares the required documents according to the requirements of GACC, and submits the materials to competent authority of the exporting country/region.

Step 2: The competent authority submits the list of overseas manufacturer that plans to export feed, and forwards the application materials to GACC.

Step 3: GACC reviews the submitted materials, and send a questionnaire involving import risk analysis to the competent authority. Overseas manufacturer should assist relevant departments in responding to the questionnaire.

Step 4: GACC arrange experts to conduct the risk assessment after receiving the response. If necessary, supplement information will be requested by GACC.

Step 5: For those qualified manufacturers, after consultation with the competent authorities, GACC may send experts to the exporting country/region to conduct on-site inspections of their feed safety supervision system and conduct random checks on the manufacturer applying for registration.

Step 6: For the overseas manufacturers that meet the requirements or have not been spot-checked, GACC will permit the application and publish the latest list in the GACC official website.

Our Services

• Regulatory training and advice;
• Import registration license for animal feed and feed additives;
• Facility registration with China GACC;
• Feed labelling review;