Jinan Zhuocheng Bio-Tech Co., Ltd.

On August 9, the Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs announced that a citywide campaign to further regulate the production, distribution and use of pesticides and veterinary drugs has officially been launched. Seven government departments, including the Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Municipal Intermediate People’s Court, jointly issued the Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Campaign to Further Regulate the Production, Distribution and Use of Pesticides and Veterinary Drugs (the “Plan”), introducing a coordinated crackdown on illegal activities across the industry.

According to the Plan, the campaign will focus on four key areas: production, distribution, online sales and use of pesticides and veterinary drugs. Running through the end of March 2027, the campaign aims to shut down illegal manufacturing sites, seize prohibited and restricted pesticides and veterinary drugs as well as illegally adulterated bait products, remove illegal online stores, investigate major cases and publicly disclose representative violations.

Comprehensive Inspections to Strengthen Source Control

By the end of August, local authorities will conduct comprehensive inspections of pesticide and veterinary drug manufacturers, including veterinary API producers, retail outlets, online stores, artificial fishing bait manufacturers and large-scale farming and aquaculture operations.

Unannounced inspections will also be conducted under the “Four Nos and Two Directs” approach—no prior notice, no advance notification, no reports and no reception arrangements, with inspectors going directly to local facilities and production sites.

Problems identified during inspections will be recorded, assessed and handled promptly, with dedicated tracking records established to ensure closed-loop management.

Strengthening Reporting Mechanisms and Social Supervision

Agricultural authorities will establish dedicated reporting channels for violations involving pesticides, veterinary drugs, aquatic animal medicines and feed products.

A closed-loop system covering report registration, assessment, referral, investigation and feedback will be established to improve the handling of reported violations.

The campaign will also encourage insiders and industry participants to report illegal activities, while relevant reward mechanisms for food-safety-related whistleblowing will be implemented to strengthen public participation and social supervision.

Targeting High-Risk Areas Through Full-Chain Enforcement

Authorities will review areas and business segments where illegal pesticide and veterinary drug activities have occurred frequently in recent years. Particular attention will be given to recurring and difficult-to-resolve violations.

Cases that have not yet been investigated will also be incorporated into the campaign. For suspected criminal activities, relevant departments will strengthen case coordination and information analysis, working together to carry out targeted enforcement and achieve full-chain supervision from production and distribution to end use.

Strict Enforcement and Stronger Penalties

The Plan emphasizes strict enforcement and rapid handling of violations.

Authorities will establish mechanisms for joint analysis of case leads and provide streamlined technical support for testing, identification and evidence collection, enabling cases to be investigated and processed more efficiently.

Confirmed violations will be subject to penalties in accordance with the law. Serious violations with significant social impact will face the maximum applicable penalties.

Meanwhile, authorities will strengthen the connection between administrative enforcement and criminal justice. Suspected criminal cases will be transferred to judicial authorities promptly in accordance with established case-referral standards.

Using Typical Cases to Strengthen Industry Compliance

The quality and safety of pesticides and veterinary drugs are directly linked to agricultural production, animal husbandry and food safety. According to an official from the Municipal Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the illegal use of prohibited or restricted pesticides and veterinary drugs can seriously damage agricultural and livestock industries. A major safety incident may not only affect individual companies and products but could also undermine the reputation of an entire industry or regional brand.

Going forward, authorities will publicly disclose representative cases identified during the campaign, using them to strengthen compliance awareness and deter illegal activities.

The campaign is expected to further shift regulatory practices from single-point supervision to full-chain oversight covering production, distribution, online sales and use.

For manufacturers and distributors of pesticides, veterinary drugs and veterinary APIs, this means greater attention will need to be paid to regulatory qualifications, product compliance, manufacturing practices, sales channels, online distribution and traceability management.