To give full play to the fundamental and leading role of standardization in the modernization drive of agriculture and rural areas, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation recently released the revised Administrative Measures on Standardization for Agriculture and Rural Areas, which will be officially put into effect on July 1, 2024.

According to the new tasks and requirements of the standardization work for agriculture and rural areas, the document expands the scope of the standardization work, defines the special requirements for standards development, focuses on the innovative application of standards implementation methods, and strengthen the modernization drive of agriculture and rural areas by standardization means.

The revised document includes the following main contents and highlights:

  • First, it expands the applicable scope from agriculture to agriculture and rural areas, specifies the definitions and scopes of the standards for agriculture and rural areas, and includes the technical requirements on infrastructure, environment and public services of rural areas, rural governance and other fields in the standardization work for agriculture and rural areas.
  • Second, it defines the requirements on standards development for agriculture and rural areas with the focus on solving the outstanding common problems, improving the quality and efficiency of agricultural products, raising the governance capability of rural areas, and protecting the ecological environment.
  • Third, it specifies the scopes of national and local standards for agriculture and rural areas, and stipulates that no local standards shall be developed for the quality and testing methods of agricultural inputs and general agricultural products in principle. Social organizations are encouraged to develop association standards according to the market demands and innovative development needs. Relevant departments are encouraged to participate in international standardization activities, and enhance the consistency of Chinese standards and international standards.
  • Fourth, it highlights the innovation of standards implementation methods, and stipulates that the administrative department for standardization and related administrative departments take the informatization and other measures to strengthen the publicity of standards and promote the application of standards for agriculture and rural areas according to local conditions. The standards for agriculture and rural areas are encouraged in the policy making in agriculture and other industries, agricultural technology promotion, agricultural product quality and safety supervision, rural construction and other work.

It also stipulates the specific requirements such as carrying out the standardization pilot and demonstration work for agriculture and rural areas, establishing service platforms, integrating and applying quality infrastructure, and facilitating the development of standardization services for agriculture and rural areas. In the next step, SAMR will make more efforts to strengthen the publicity, establish and improve the coordination mechanism of standardization work for agriculture and rural areas, implement standardization means to regulate agricultural production, and improve the living environment and rural governance, striving to create a good, fair environment for the development of agriculture and rural areas with standards and regulations.

Source: www.sac.gov.cn