The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has conducted a comprehensive inspection to identify potential safety hazards in agricultural production, including those related to pesticides.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced that a national conference on agricultural production safety was recently held, emphasizing the need to conduct comprehensive inspections to eliminate safety hazards in the agriculture and rural sectors. In particular, the focus will be on key industries and areas such as pesticide use and livestock and poultry slaughter, with efforts aimed at thoroughly addressing all risks and preventing accidents at their source.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated that it will focus on key regions, critical junctures, and vulnerable links, carrying out comprehensive inspections and rectifications to address safety hazards in sectors such as agricultural machinery, fisheries, rural energy, pesticide use, and livestock and poultry slaughter. At the same time, it will compile a list of identified issues and implement practical, effective measures to prevent accidents at their source. Efforts will be intensified to enhance the safety awareness and emergency response capabilities of farmers and agricultural operators, while strengthening internal safety management within the agriculture and rural affairs system to ensure the orderly conduct of production and daily life.

In recent weeks, multiple government departments have stepped up enforcement efforts to ensure workplace safety in agriculture and rural areas. Seven agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the Ministry of Public Security, have jointly launched a three-year campaign titled “Eliminate Prohibited Substances, Control Residues of Veterinary Drugs, and Promote Quality Improvement” for food agricultural products. The initiative calls on all localities and relevant authorities to focus on priority product categories and accelerate the resolution of issues such as the illegal use of banned drugs and the excessive residue levels of conventional agricultural and veterinary medicines.

According to reports, China’s routine monitoring of agricultural product quality and safety has maintained a pass rate of over 97% for six consecutive years, reflecting an overall trend of steady improvement. However, potential risks to agricultural product safety persist in certain regions and among specific varieties, with excessive residues of agricultural and veterinary drugs being one of the most pressing concerns. To address this issue, seven government departments have adopted a targeted governance approach, focusing on source control, production oversight, market surveillance, strengthened law enforcement, and institutional reforms, with particular emphasis on tackling 11 high‑risk product categories.

According to reports, various departments have now defined their work objectives, timelines, and priority tasks. These include phasing out the ten currently approved highly toxic pesticides in stages, standardizing the use of agricultural and veterinary drugs, requiring certification for the production and marketing of agricultural products from designated regions, and rigorously cracking down on prohibited substances to effectively address issues such as excessive pesticide residues.

Meanwhile, local governments have also stepped up their efforts in the field of agricultural production safety. In Guizhou Province, authorities recently launched supervisory inspections targeting key slaughterhouse enterprises, focusing on the establishment and implementation of safety management systems, the operation of facilities and equipment, and the storage and handling of materials. Enterprises were urged to fulfill their primary responsibility for workplace safety, ensuring the safe conduct of slaughtering operations. Similarly, Yunnan Province has vigorously promoted agricultural production safety, conducting comprehensive risk assessments and systematically addressing safety hazards—particularly in areas such as pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed, and agricultural machinery—to prevent and reduce the occurrence of agricultural accidents.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated that it will urge agricultural and rural departments at all levels to firmly assume their responsibilities, maintain constant vigilance over workplace safety, and adhere to the principle that overseeing an industry entails ensuring its safety, managing business operations requires ensuring safety, and overseeing production and operations demands ensuring safety, thereby effectively fulfilling their regulatory duties. At the same time, it will intensify targeted sampling inspections, strengthen technological research and development, and ensure that all measures for agricultural workplace safety are implemented thoroughly, meticulously, and effectively.

Source: Economic Reference Net