Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: No longer will separate approvals be required for trial activities conducted by pesticide research and production enterprises.

On September 29, the State Council Information Office held a regular policy briefing to provide details on the latest batch of administrative licensing items slated for cancellation or delegation.

“To encourage innovation in pesticide products and facilitate trials conducted by developers of new pesticides, separate approval for testing activities undertaken by pesticide R&D and manufacturing enterprises will no longer be required,” said Wang Lejun, Director-General of the Department of Regulations at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in response to a journalist’s question at the meeting. Under the current Regulations on the Administration of Pesticides, registration trials for new pesticides must be submitted to the agricultural authority under the State Council and may only commence after passing review and meeting the requisite conditions. The Decision on Cancelling and Delegating a Batch of Administrative Licensing Items (hereinafter referred to as the “Decision”) has abolished this licensing requirement, replacing it with a filing‑based procedure.

“The primary consideration is that, in accordance with the law, registration trials for new pesticides must be conducted by pesticide registration‑testing institutions accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. At present, the Ministry has accredited 164 such institutions. By rigorously setting accreditation criteria and strengthening oversight of these testing entities, we can ensure that the trial process for new pesticides is standardized and that the results are reliable,” explained Wang Lejun. He added that pesticides are critical agricultural inputs that directly affect food security, ecological and environmental safety, and the quality and safety of agricultural products, and that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has consistently implemented the strictest regulatory measures for their management.

Regarding the stringent criteria for accrediting testing institutions, Wang Lejun stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will primarily safeguard entry standards through three key measures.

First is the standardization of recognition criteria. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has already formulated regulations such as the “Rules for the Evaluation of Pesticide Registration Testing Institutions” and the “Quality Management Standards for Pesticide Registration Testing.” Going forward, it will further refine and implement requirements pertaining to testing institutions’ organizational structure, facilities and equipment, and quality management systems.

Secondly, standardize the recognition procedures. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has formulated and publicly released the “Service Guide for the Accreditation of Pesticide Registration Test Units,” clearly defining the application requirements and procedures for unit accreditation. Moving forward, the Ministry will place particular emphasis on rigorously overseeing key stages—including document review, on-site inspections, and comprehensive evaluations—during the licensing process, to ensure that the accreditation procedures are compliant with laws and regulations and that the outcomes are fair and scientifically sound.

Finally, standardize the expert review process. The on-site inspection phase of the registration and approval process for testing institutions will be conducted under a chief expert responsibility system. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will rigorously select experts from relevant fields and, following training, include them in an on-site inspection expert pool. Experts participating in the inspections will be randomly drawn from this pool to ensure the professionalism and impartiality of the on-site inspection outcomes.

With regard to strengthening the oversight of testing institutions, Wang Lejun stated that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will primarily implement the following measures to ensure that these institutions possess the requisite technical expertise and management capabilities.

Designated testing entities are required to establish mechanisms for self‑inspection and self‑regulation, and to submit annual reports to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs on their implementation of the Good Laboratory Practice for Pesticide Registration Testing. In accordance with the “double random, one public” approach, oversight and spot checks shall be strengthened; if safety risks are identified during the testing process, the relevant tests must be promptly ordered to cease. Any registration testing entity found to have issued false reports or engaged in other unlawful conduct shall be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law, and its registration shall be revoked. Where such conduct constitutes a criminal offense, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.

Source: AgroPages World Pesticide Network