To strengthen the primary responsibility of agricultural product producers and operators and enhance the quality and safety supervision system, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Heilongjiang Province, in conjunction with the Provincial Market Supervision Administration, has recently issued an implementation opinion for enforcing the "Administrative Measures for Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Compliance Certificates." This initiative fully deploys the compliance certificate system to safeguard public food safety from the source.
According to the directive, Heilongjiang will establish a "six-integrations" training framework, incorporating the certificate system into high-quality farmer training, agricultural technology promotion, green food programs, regulatory personnel rotations, technical workshops, and agricultural law enforcement. Three specialized courses will be offered covering regulations, in-depth procedures, and targeted training for production entities, tailored for producers, regulators, law enforcement personnel, and purchasers. All agricultural counties will conduct extensive awareness campaigns to ensure 100% awareness among enterprises, cooperatives, and other production operators.
Local authorities will conduct comprehensive surveys and self-inspections, creating individual files for key producers, cooperatives, large-scale farmers, and purchasers involved in vegetables, fruits, livestock, farmed aquatic products, and eggs by the end of March 2026. A "focus on large entities while guiding small ones" strategy will be implemented, urging large-scale operators to issue certificates properly while encouraging small farmers to participate through village service points and "cooperative + small farmer" models. Priority will be given to achieving full coverage for vegetables, aquatic products, and eggs within the year, gradually expanding to fruits and livestock.
The directive specifies differentiated inspection frequencies based on the scale, credit rating, and risk level of production entities, with increased scrutiny for high-risk operators. A complementary approach combining digital and paper-based certificate issuance will be promoted, encouraging the use of national and provincial traceability platforms for electronic certificates and exploring blockchain technology to enhance credibility. Violations such as failure to issue certificates or fraudulent use will be investigated and publicly disclosed to serve as deterrents.
Heilongjiang will prioritize two key industries—fresh corn and edible fungi—holding specialized meetings to achieve full certificate coverage first. The province will continue pilot programs, popularize township rapid testing stations, and ensure real-time uploads of testing data. Additionally, twenty exemplary cases will be selected to highlight best practices in government supervision and production/purchasing, fostering overall improvement through demonstration.
The directive requires strict implementation of origin inspection and market access coordination mechanisms, enhancing information sharing and joint enforcement between agricultural and market supervision departments. Purchasers must collect and retain certificates for at least six months and are prohibited from acquiring products without valid certificates, ensuring full traceability from farm to table.
To ensure effective implementation, a three-tier responsibility system will be established, with management costs incorporated into annual budgets and compliance included in food safety assessments. A quarterly reporting mechanism will monitor progress, ensuring the certificate system is thoroughly and effectively enforced across Heilongjiang.
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