State Council, Administration of the Safety of Agricultural Transgenic Organisms Regulations

Promulgated: 23 May 2001
Effective: as of date of promulgation
Applicability: These Regulations apply to the research, testing, production, processing, import and export of agricultural transgenic organisms (Article 2). For the purposes of the Regulations, "agricultural transgenic organisms" means animals, plants and micro-organisms that are modified genetically by application of genetic engineering for agricultural purposes, and the products of such animals, plants and micro-organisms (Article 3).

Main contents: According to the Regulations, an inter-ministry joint council shall be set up under the State Council for the administration of the safety of agricultural transgenic organisms (Article 5). Classification, safety assessment and identification of agricultural transgenic organisms shall be institutionalized nationwide (Articles 6, 7 and 8). A committee for the safety assessment of agricultural transgenic organisms shall be set up under the State Council department in charge of agriculture (Article 9). Each stage of testing on agricultural transgenic organisms is subject to safety assessment by this committee (Article 15). Upon successful completion of tests, the testing work unit may apply to the State Council department in charge of agriculture for the Safety Certificate of Agricultural Transgenic Organisms (Article 16). This certificate is one of the necessary conditions for any work unit or individual to obtain a licence for production, processing or distribution of seeds, breeding birds, breeding stock or fingerlings that are genetically modified (Articles 19 and 26). To import agricultural transgenic organisms for research or testing, application shall be made to the State Council department in charge of agriculture (Article 31). Foreign exporters shall also apply to the State Council department in charge of agriculture if they export agricultural transgenic organisms to China (Articles 32 and 33).