Regulation 611, issued in February 2006, stands as one of the most restrictive international product registration rules currently in force. This rule goes beyond any product safety concerns that are a legitimate focus of any government, and forces companies wanting to sell products in China to provide a huge amount of detailed information. The requirements of 611 call for importers of pet food and feed into China to provide a detailed product breakdown using only a select list of approved ingredients. Storage, handling, and detailed manufacturing information at all stages of the product’s development are also required. The 611 rule even goes so far as to request an exporter to provide the Chinese government with the registration information issued by other countries before Chinese import permission is granted.
All this registration information is in addition to the other Chinese requirements, at least for the United States, that all pet food plants wishing to export to China be free of any and all ruminant material. Only plants on this “approved list” are even eligible to move to the next stage and begin the product registration process, which can take months to complete. Again, this applies not only to pet food products, but also to any finished feed or feed ingredient being sold for the first time in China.
The Pet Food Institute is assisting its member companies to comply with these requirements while at the same time helping U.S. government officials involved in Chinese trade working to amend these requirements. By showing the Chinese government that U.S. commercial pet food is safe and the best source of nutrition, perhaps in the future it will be possible to reduce the burdens on all pet food companies wanting to enter what very well may be one of the world’s largest potential markets for pet food and related products.
December 2006 Render