The General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has issued a letter on the lawful delineation of the management of veterinary drugs and pesticides.

Release Date:

2021-06-11

(Agricultural Office Agricultural Letter [2021] No. 3)

Recently, the General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued a letter on the lawful classification and administration of veterinary drugs and pesticides (No. 3 [2021] of the General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs). The detailed contents are as follows:

To the Departments (Bureaus, Commissions) of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (Agriculture and Animal Husbandry) of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the central government, and to the Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps:

In recent years, during enforcement inspections, some local authorities have identified on the market products such as “natural plant‑based lice‑removal sprays” that are marketed to protect the health of livestock, poultry, pets, and other animals. There has been disagreement over whether these products should be regulated as veterinary drugs or as agricultural pesticides. Following a specialized study convened with relevant experts, a unified definition is hereby established as follows.

According to Article 72 of the Regulations on the Administration of Veterinary Drugs, veterinary drugs refer to substances used for the prevention, treatment, or diagnosis of animal diseases, or for the purposeful regulation of animal physiological functions. Pursuant to Article 2 of the Regulations on the Administration of Pesticides, pesticides are defined as chemical synthetic substances or mixtures of such substances and their formulations, derived from biological sources or other natural materials, which are used to prevent or control diseases, pests, weeds, rodents, and other harmful organisms that threaten agriculture and forestry, as well as to purposefully regulate the growth of plants and insects.

According to the aforementioned administrative regulations, both veterinary drugs and pesticides are classified and defined based on their intended functions, application settings, and target organisms. If a product’s label, instructions, promotional materials, or other documentation specify that it is intended for use in livestock, poultry, pets, or other animals to prevent and control parasites such as lice and fleas, with the purpose of safeguarding the health of these animals, then it falls under the category of veterinary drugs and is subject to veterinary drug regulation. Conversely, if a product is designated for the prevention and control of harmful organisms—such as diseases, pests, weeds, rodents, and other agricultural or forestry threats—as well as nuisance insects like mosquitoes, flies, cockroaches, and ants, it is classified as a pesticide and governed accordingly.

General Office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

June 8, 2021

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