In January, the Chinese Government introduced new import regulations known as Decrees 248 and 249, which require international distributors to register with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC), and for products to include Chinese-language labeling.
Since their implementation, there have been many issues, with lobster distributors claiming they have erroneously been told they aren’t registered with GACC, causing delays in shipping and in sometimes voiding the Chinese importer’s obligation to pay.
The Lobster Council of Canada thinks that this is just the beginning and is anticipating the new regulations to be extended further.
Currently, the regulations only apply to frozen or cooked products.
In a memo written by Lobster Council of Canada executive director Geoff Irvine he said, “It is my understanding that to date the CIFER system is not required to be used by the live lobster sector, however, we expect China to initiate a process that will require live shippers to participate in the future,”
The China Import Food Enterprise Registration (CIFER) system referred to by Irvine is the import system operated by GACC, in which distributors list what they are shipping.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is not as certain as the Lobster Council, saying in an email to our newsroom that they have received no indication that China is looking to extend the scope of Decrees 248 and 249.
