Explicitly Prohibited: These Fresh Agricultural Products Are Strictly Forbidden for Transportation

Introduction

As a core material safeguarding people’s livelihood, the circulation and transportation of fresh agricultural products are directly related to the safety of consumers’ dining tables, the healthy development of the agricultural industry, and public health security. China has always attached great importance to the management of fresh agricultural product transportation, establishing a relatively sound transportation control system through improving laws and regulations and strengthening supervision and law enforcement. Among them, the regulation of “strictly prohibiting the transportation of certain fresh agricultural products” is not a restriction on circulation, but a necessary measure based on multiple considerations such as public health security, ecological environment protection, animal epidemic prevention, and food safety.

From poultry in areas affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza, to fruits and vegetables carrying quarantinable pests, and to rotten fresh products, these fresh agricultural products that are explicitly prohibited from transportation may trigger serious consequences such as epidemic spread, ecological damage, and food safety accidents once they flow into the market or circulate across regions. This article will deeply analyze the categories of fresh agricultural products prohibited from transportation, the legal basis and core reasons for the prohibition, the supervision and implementation mechanism, and industry response strategies, aiming to provide comprehensive references for relevant practitioners, regulatory authorities, and consumers, and promote the standardized and safe development of the fresh agricultural product transportation industry.

I. Core Categories and Definition Standards of Fresh Agricultural Products Prohibited from Transportation

(I) Animal-based Fresh Agricultural Products: Prohibition Focused on Epidemic Prevention

Due to the risk of epidemic transmission, animal-based fresh agricultural products are a key area of transportation prohibition. Their definition standards are clearly divided based on laws and regulations such as the “Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Regulations on the Emergency Response to Major Animal Epidemics”, combined with factors such as epidemic type, quarantine status, and source channel.

1. Infected and Suspected Infected Animals

Infected animals refer to those suffering from statutory epidemics or carrying pathogens of statutory epidemics, including livestock (pigs, cattle, sheep, etc.), poultry (chickens, ducks, geese, etc.), wild animals, and aquatic animals. For example, chicken flocks infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza, live pigs carrying African swine fever virus, and poultry suffering from Newcastle disease are all explicitly prohibited from transportation. Suspected infected animals refer to those with a history of contact with infected animals or showing clinical symptoms of epidemics but not yet confirmed. To prevent the spread of epidemics, they are also included in the prohibited transportation scope.

China has strict quarantine standards for the definition of such animals, which need to be confirmed through clinical examinations, laboratory tests, and other methods. For instance, the diagnosis of African swine fever shall be based on the “Diagnostic Techniques for African Swine Fever” (GB/T 18648-2020), detecting viral nucleic acid by methods such as real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR; highly pathogenic avian influenza shall be determined according to the “Diagnostic Techniques for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza” (GB/T 18936-2022), combining clinical symptoms and serological test results. Once confirmed or suspected, transportation shall be fully prohibited, and the relevant animals shall be culled and harmlessly disposed of in accordance with regulations.

2. Animals Without Quarantine or with Unqualified Quarantine

According to Article 47 of the “Animal Epidemic Prevention Law”, transporting animals must be accompanied by a quarantine certificate, and animals with unqualified quarantine shall not leave their place of origin. Animals without quarantine cannot have their health status confirmed and have potential risks of carrying epidemics; while animals with unqualified quarantine have clear health hazards or epidemic transmission risks. Both are strictly prohibited from transportation.

In practice, common situations of such animals include: farms transporting live pigs and poultry without declaring quarantine; aquatic fry transported across regions without obtaining the “Certificate of Quarantine Qualification for Aquatic Fry Origin”; animals found to be suffering from epidemics such as brucellosis and foot-and-mouth disease during quarantine still attempting to circulate. For example, a farm privately transported more than 100 unquarantined live pigs to evade the quarantine process and was seized by law enforcement authorities on the way. Not only were the live pigs legally detained and harmlessly disposed of, but the farm also faced a heavy fine.

3. Animals and Products from Epidemic Areas

An epidemic area refers to a region where a major animal epidemic has occurred, designated by the people’s government at or above the provincial level. To curb the cross-regional spread of epidemics, all animals and related products from epidemic areas (such as untreated animal secretions and excreta) are prohibited from transportation. The designation of epidemic areas must follow strict procedures: proposed by the competent department of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine of the people’s government at or above the county level, and announced after approval by the people’s government at the same level.

For example, after an outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza in a certain area in 2023, the local government quickly designated the epidemic area, clarifying that all poultry and their products within the epidemic area were prohibited from being transported out, and external animals were prohibited from entering the epidemic area. This measure effectively cut off the epidemic transmission route and avoided the spread of the epidemic. In addition, in response to major animal epidemics such as African swine fever, China has also established a “regional prevention and control” system, implementing strict control over the transportation of animals between different regions. The cross-regional transportation of animals from epidemic areas is listed as a key prohibited item.

4. Illegally Captured Wild Animals

Wild animals are an important part of the ecosystem and may carry various zoonotic pathogens. China’s “Wild Animal Protection Law”, “Criminal Law”, and other laws and regulations explicitly prohibit the illegal hunting, transportation, and trading of wild animals and their products. Illegally captured wild animals without permission, whether they are protected species or not, are all strictly prohibited from transportation.

Such wild animals include: illegally hunted terrestrial wild animals such as wild boars, hares, and snakes; illegally fished precious and endangered aquatic wild animals (such as Chinese sturgeon and finless porpoises); and other wild animals not included in the protection list but illegally captured. Transporting such animals will not only damage the ecological environment but also may lead to the spread of epidemics such as plague, rabies, and novel coronavirus, posing a serious threat to public health security. In recent years, China has continuously carried out special campaigns such as “Qingfeng” and “Kunlun” to severely crack down on illegal and criminal acts of illegally transporting wild animals, and many offenders have been held criminally responsible in accordance with the law.

(II) Plant-based Fresh Agricultural Products: Focus on Pest Control and Quality Safety

The provisions on prohibiting the transportation of plant-based fresh agricultural products are mainly formulated around issues such as the prevention and control of quarantinable pests, excessive pesticide residues, and rot. The core basis is laws and regulations such as the “Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Plant Quarantine” and the “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law”, aiming to prevent the spread of harmful organisms and ensure agricultural production safety and food safety.

1. Plants and Plant Products Carrying Quarantinable Pests

Quarantinable pests refer to diseases, insects, weeds, rodents, and other harmful organisms that pose a major threat to agricultural and forestry production safety. Such harmful organisms have the characteristics of fast spread, wide harm scope, and difficulty in control. Once spread, they may cause devastating blows to related industries. Therefore, plants and plant products carrying such harmful organisms are explicitly prohibited from transportation.

China has published the “National List of Quarantinable Agricultural Plant Pests” including 58 species of harmful organisms, such as Phytophthora sojae, Tilletia controversa, Solenopsis invicta, and Ceratitis capitata; the “National List of Quarantinable Forestry Plant Pests” includes 55 species of harmful organisms, such as Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, Hyphantria cunea, and Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. For example, pine wood and its products carrying Bursaphelenchus xylophilus may cause the death of large areas of pine forests in regions where the epidemic has not occurred; fruits carrying Ceratitis capitata will cause serious harm to the fruit and vegetable industry. Therefore, such plants and plant products must undergo strict quarantine before transportation and can only circulate if they are confirmed to be free of quarantinable pests.

2. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables with Excessive Pesticide Residues or Using Banned Pesticides

According to Article 33 of the “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law”, it is prohibited to produce, sell, or transport agricultural products whose content of pollutants such as pesticide residues, veterinary drug residues, biological toxins, and heavy metals, as well as other substances harmful to human health, exceeds the limit specified in food safety standards. For fresh fruits and vegetables, excessive pesticide residues are the most common quality and safety problem. In particular, fruits and vegetables using national banned pesticides such as methamidophos and parathion are strictly prohibited from transportation due to their serious harm to human health.

China has formulated strict limit standards for pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. The “National Food Safety Standard Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides in Foods” (GB 2763-2021) clearly stipulates the maximum residue limits of 483 pesticides in 356 types (categories) of foods. For example, the maximum residue limit of chlorpyrifos in spinach is 0.1mg/kg, and the maximum residue limit of carbofuran in chives is 0.02mg/kg. If tests find that the pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables exceed the above standards or banned pesticide components are detected, the batch of fruits and vegetables will be prohibited from transportation and sale, and those already transported shall be recalled and harmlessly disposed of in accordance with the law. In recent years, market supervision departments in various regions have strengthened the sampling inspection of fresh fruits and vegetables during transportation, repeatedly seizing fruits and vegetables with excessive pesticide residues, and the relevant responsible persons have been punished in accordance with the law.

3. Fresh Agricultural Products That Are Rotten or Have Abnormal Sensory Characteristics

Fresh fruits and vegetables, edible fungi, and other products may experience rotten, moldy, odorous, and other abnormal sensory characteristics due to improper storage, excessive transportation time, etc. Such products not only lose their nutritional value but also may breed harmful substances such as mycotoxins and pathogenic bacteria, which will endanger human health if consumed. According to Article 34 of the “Food Safety Law”, it is prohibited to produce or operate food that is corrupt and rotten, rancid, moldy and worm-infested, filthy and unclean, mixed with foreign matter, adulterated, or has abnormal sensory characteristics. Correspondingly, such fresh agricultural products are also strictly prohibited from transportation.

In practice, common situations of such products include: delicate fruits and vegetables such as strawberries and lychees rotting due to the lack of cold chain preservation measures during transportation; edible fungi becoming moldy and odorous due to a humid storage environment; vegetables suffering extensive damage due to extrusion and collision, leading to secondary pollution, etc. When law enforcement authorities find such products during inspections, they will legally seal and seize them, and supervise the parties to conduct harmless disposal to prevent them from flowing into the market and endangering consumers’ health.

(III) Other Special Fresh Agricultural Products Prohibited from Transportation

In addition to the above two categories, some special types of fresh agricultural products are included in the prohibited transportation scope due to issues related to ecological protection and public safety, mainly including:

1. National Key Protected Wild Plants and Their Products

According to the “Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants”, national key protected wild plants are divided into first-class and second-class protected wild plants. It is prohibited to illegally collect, sell, purchase, or transport national key protected wild plants. For example, wild ginseng, wild Dendrobium officinale, Davidia involucrata, and other national key protected wild plants shall not be transported without permission. Illegal transportation of such wild plants will face administrative penalties, and criminal liability may be pursued if the circumstances are serious.

2. Fresh Agricultural Products Containing Prohibited Additives

To extend the shelf life and improve the appearance of fresh agricultural products, some producers illegally add prohibited substances such as formaldehyde and sulfur dioxide. Such products are seriously harmful to human health and are explicitly prohibited from transportation. For example, Chinese cabbage and tripe soaked in formaldehyde for preservation, tremella and lily sprayed with sulfur dioxide for whitening, etc., all fall into the scope of strictly prohibited transportation. Law enforcement authorities can promptly detect such fresh agricultural products with prohibited additives through rapid testing, laboratory testing, and other methods, and investigate and handle them in accordance with the law.

II. Legal Basis and Core Reasons for Prohibiting the Transportation of Fresh Agricultural Products

(I) Core Legal Basis: Building a Multi-level Control System

China has formed a legal system centered on the “Food Safety Law”, “Animal Epidemic Prevention Law”, “Regulations on Plant Quarantine”, “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law”, “Wild Animal Protection Law”, etc., providing a clear legal basis for the prohibition of fresh agricultural product transportation and building a multi-level and all-round control framework.

1. Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People’s Republic of China

This law is the basic law regulating animal epidemic prevention activities, clarifying the quarantine requirements for animal transportation, the designation and management of epidemic areas, the disposal of infected animals, and other contents. Among them, Article 47 stipulates that “those transporting animals or animal products shall, by virtue of the quarantine certificate, apply for transportation quarantine procedures; the carrier shall inspect documents such as the quarantine certificate and disinfection certificate”; Article 76 stipulates that “when performing supervision and inspection tasks, the competent department of animal husbandry and veterinary medicine of the local people’s government at or above the county level may seal up or seize animals, animal products, and related items that are proved by evidence to be possibly infected with epidemics”. Violating the provisions of this law, such as transporting infected animals or unquarantined animals, will face administrative penalties such as fines and confiscation of illegal gains; if the circumstances are serious, the relevant license shall be revoked; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law.

2. Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Plant Quarantine

This regulation is an important law for preventing the spread of quarantinable plant pests, clarifying the quarantine procedures and transportation requirements for plants and plant products. Among them, Article 7 stipulates that “the transportation of plants and plant products shall be subject to quarantine in the following cases: (1) For those included in the list of plants and plant products subject to quarantine, they must be quarantined before being transported out of the county-level administrative region where the epidemic occurs; (2) All seeds, seedlings, and other propagating materials, regardless of whether they are included in the list of plants and plant products subject to quarantine and where they are transported, must be quarantined before transportation”; Article 18 stipulates that “whoever commits any of the following acts shall be ordered by the plant quarantine authority to make corrections and may be fined; if losses are caused, compensation shall be made; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law: (1) Failing to go through the plant quarantine certificate in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations or practicing fraud in the declaration process; (2) Forging, altering, buying, or selling plant quarantine documents, seals, marks, or seals; (3) Transporting, isolating, testing, or producing plants or plant products subject to quarantine in violation of the provisions of these Regulations”.

3. Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law of the People’s Republic of China

This law focuses on agricultural product quality and safety and clearly stipulates the quality control of agricultural products during transportation. Among them, Article 33 lists the circumstances of agricultural products prohibited from production, sale, and transportation, including excessive pesticide residues, corruption and rot, and containing prohibited additives; Article 50 stipulates that “if the competent department of agriculture and rural areas of the people’s government at or above the county level finds that an illegal act involving agricultural product quality and safety is suspected of a crime, it shall promptly transfer the case to the public security organ”. This law provides strong legal support for cracking down on unqualified fresh agricultural products during transportation.

4. Wild Animal Protection Law of the People’s Republic of China and Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants

These two laws and regulations respectively regulate the protection of wild animals and wild plants, explicitly prohibiting the illegal transportation of national key protected wild animals, wild plants, and their products. For example, Article 49 of the “Wild Animal Protection Law” stipulates that “whoever illegally transports national key protected wild animals or their products shall be confiscated of the wild animals or their products and illegal gains by the competent department of wild animal protection of the people’s government at or above the county level, and shall be fined not less than one time but not more than ten times the value of the wild animals or their products; if the circumstances are serious, the artificial breeding license or operation and utilization license shall be revoked; if a crime is constituted, criminal liability shall be pursued in accordance with the law”.

(II) Core Reasons for Prohibition: Inevitable Considerations for Multiple Securities

1. Ensuring Public Health Security and Preventing Epidemic Spread

This is the core reason for prohibiting the transportation of infected animals, wild animals, and other fresh agricultural products. Animal epidemics, especially zoonoses such as highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, and brucellosis, once spread through the transportation link, will not only cause large-scale losses to the breeding industry but also may be transmitted to humans, triggering public health crises. For example, highly pathogenic avian influenza can be transmitted through the respiratory tract, and personnel in contact with infected poultry or their secretions and excreta may be infected, which can lead to death in severe cases; illegal transportation of wild animals is one of the important ways for the spread of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases such as novel coronavirus, posing a huge threat to public health security. Prohibiting the transportation of such agricultural products can effectively cut off the epidemic transmission chain and protect public health.

2. Protecting Agricultural Production Safety and Curbing the Spread of Harmful Organisms

Plants and plant products carrying quarantinable pests are “invisible killers” of agricultural production. Such harmful organisms have strong adaptability and fast spread speed. Once entering a new region, they may multiply in large numbers due to the lack of natural enemies, destroying the local agricultural ecological balance and leading to crop yield reduction or even total crop failure. For example, pine wilt disease is known as “pine cancer”. Once introduced into pine forests, it can cause the death of large areas of pine trees in a short time, causing devastating blows to forestry production; Solenopsis invicta not only endangers crops but also attacks humans, causing symptoms such as skin redness and pain, and may even lead to shock in people with allergies. Prohibiting the transportation of such fresh agricultural products carrying harmful organisms is a key measure to prevent the cross-regional spread of harmful organisms and ensure agricultural production safety.

3. Safeguarding Food Safety and Protecting Consumers’ Health

Fresh agricultural products that are rotten, have excessive pesticide residues, or contain prohibited additives will cause serious harm to human health if consumed. For example, excessive pesticide residues may cause acute poisoning and chronic damage, affecting the nervous system and digestive system; mycotoxins such as aflatoxin produced by rotten fruits and vegetables are highly carcinogenic, and long-term intake will increase the risk of cancer; prohibited additives such as formaldehyde and sulfur dioxide will irritate the respiratory tract and digestive tract, causing symptoms such as dizziness and nausea, and may lead to liver and kidney function damage in severe cases. Prohibiting the transportation of such unsafe fresh agricultural products is an important means to control food safety from the source and ensure consumers’ “safety on the tip of the tongue”.

4. Maintaining Ecological Balance and Protecting Biodiversity

The illegal transportation of wild animals, wild plants, and their products will seriously damage ecological balance and biodiversity. Wild animals assume important functions such as predation, pollination, and seed dispersal in the ecosystem. Over-hunting and transportation will lead to a sharp decline in their population, affecting the stability of the ecological chain; wild plants are an important part of the ecosystem, playing a significant role in soil and water conservation, air purification, and ecological service provision. Illegal transportation will lead to the destruction of their living environment. By prohibiting such transportation behaviors, illegal hunting and collection can be curbed, biodiversity can be protected, and ecological balance can be maintained.

III. Supervision and Implementation Mechanism and Law Enforcement Practice for Prohibiting the Transportation of Fresh Agricultural Products

(I) Multi-department Collaborative Supervision: Building an All-chain Control Network

The supervision of prohibited transportation of fresh agricultural products involves multiple departments such as agriculture and rural areas, market supervision, transportation, forestry and grassland, and public security. Each department performs its own duties and cooperates with each other to build an all-chain control network covering production, transportation, sales, and other links.

1. Agriculture and Rural Departments: Responsible for animal quarantine, plant quarantine, agricultural product quality and safety supervision, focusing on investigating and punishing illegal acts such as transporting infected animals, unquarantined animals, plants and plant products carrying quarantinable pests, and agricultural products with excessive pesticide residues. At the source of transportation, agriculture and rural departments conduct daily supervision of farms and planting bases, urging them to fulfill their quarantine declaration obligations; during transportation, through the establishment of animal health supervision inspection stations and plant quarantine inspection stations, they conduct random inspections of transport vehicles, inspect documents such as quarantine certificates and disinfection certificates, and test agricultural product quality and safety indicators.
2. Market Supervision Departments: Responsible for the supervision of agricultural product quality and safety in the circulation link, focusing on investigating and punishing illegal acts such as transporting rotten fresh agricultural products and those containing prohibited additives. Through inspections of wholesale markets, farmers’ markets, e-commerce platforms, etc., market supervision departments trace the transportation source of fresh agricultural products and investigate and punish illegal acts in the transportation link; at the same time, they strengthen information sharing with agriculture and rural departments to form a supervision synergy.
3. Transportation Departments: Responsible for cooperating with relevant departments in the supervision of the transportation link, urging transportation enterprises such as road, railway, aviation, and waterway to fulfill their main responsibilities and refuse to transport fresh agricultural products without quarantine certificates or suspected of violations. Transportation departments set up inspection points at passenger stations, freight stations, ports, and other places to assist agriculture and rural departments, market supervision departments, and other departments in conducting random inspections, and promptly transfer discovered illegal transportation acts to relevant departments for handling.
4. Forestry and Grassland Departments: Responsible for the supervision of wild animal and wild plant protection, focusing on investigating and punishing illegal acts of illegally transporting national key protected wild animals, wild plants, and their products. Through the establishment of inspection stations and the launch of special law enforcement actions, forestry and grassland departments strengthen the control of the transportation link and severely crack down on illegal transportation acts.
5. Public Security Departments: Responsible for cracking down on illegal transportation acts suspected of crimes, filing and investigating cases transferred by relevant departments, and pursuing the criminal liability of offenders. Public security departments have established a joint law enforcement mechanism with other departments, increasing the crackdown on illegal transportation acts during special campaigns such as major animal epidemic prevention and wild animal protection, forming a strong deterrent.

(II) Key Supervision Links: Full-process Control from Source to Terminal

1. Source Control: Strengthen the supervision of production entities, urge farms and planting bases to fulfill their obligations of quarantine declaration and quality and safety self-inspection, and eliminate unqualified fresh agricultural products from flowing into the transportation link at the source. For example, agriculture and rural departments implement filing management for large-scale farms, conduct regular epidemic monitoring and quality and safety sampling inspections; market supervision departments guide farmers to standardize the use of pesticides to avoid excessive pesticide residues.
2. Inspection During Transportation: Set up inspection points at key nodes such as inter-provincial borders, major transportation routes, and wholesale markets to conduct random inspections of vehicles transporting fresh agricultural products. Inspection contents include: whether holding valid quarantine certificates and disinfection certificates; whether agricultural products are infected, rotten, etc.; whether carrying quarantinable pests; whether indicators such as pesticide residues and prohibited additives are qualified. For discovered illegal transport vehicles, legally take measures such as sealing up and seizing, and conduct harmless disposal of unqualified agricultural products.
3. Information Traceability: Establish a traceability system for fresh agricultural products to achieve “traceable source, trackable destination, and accountable responsibility”. By attaching traceability labels to agricultural products and entering transportation information, once unqualified products are found, the production, transportation, and other links can be quickly traced, and the relevant responsible persons can be identified. For example, some regions promote the use of the “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Traceability APP”, requiring transportation enterprises to enter transport vehicle information, agricultural product sources, quarantine status, etc., to facilitate real-time supervision by regulatory authorities.
4. Special Law Enforcement Actions: Carry out special law enforcement actions to focus on cracking down on illegal transportation acts in response to prominent problems. For example, during the prevention and control of major animal epidemics, carry out special rectification actions for animal transportation to severely crack down on acts such as transporting infected animals and unquarantined animals; in special food safety rectification actions, focus on investigating and punishing the transportation of fresh agricultural products with excessive pesticide residues and prohibited additives; in special wild animal protection actions, increase the crackdown on illegal transportation of wild animals.

(III) Law Enforcement Practice and Typical Cases: Demonstrating Supervision Strength

In recent years, departments in various regions have increased the crackdown on illegal transportation of fresh agricultural products, investigated and handled a number of typical cases, demonstrating China’s firm determination to safeguard public health security, food safety, and ecological security.

Case 1: A Transportation Company Illegally Transported Infected Live Pigs

In 2022, a transportation company was entrusted by a farm to transport 120 live pigs from Province A to Province B and was seized by an animal health supervision inspection station on the way. Tests showed that some of the live pigs carried African swine fever virus, and the transport vehicle did not have valid quarantine certificates and disinfection certificates. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the “Animal Epidemic Prevention Law”, the law enforcement authorities conducted harmless disposal of the live pigs, imposed a fine of 50,000 yuan on the transportation company and 80,000 yuan on the farm, and transferred the relevant clues to the public security department to pursue the criminal liability of the relevant responsible persons.

Case 2: An Individual Household Illegally Transported Wild Birds

In 2023, an individual household illegally captured more than 200 wild birds (including 10 national second-class protected animals) without any permission and transported them to other places for sale by van, which was seized by the joint inspection of forestry and grassland departments and public security departments on the way. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the “Wild Animal Protection Law”, the law enforcement authorities confiscated the wild birds, imposed a fine of 100,000 yuan on the individual household, and pursued his criminal liability in accordance with the law.

Case 3: A Wholesaler Transported Spinach with Excessive Pesticide Residues

In 2023, a wholesaler purchased a batch of spinach from a grower in Shandong, entrusted a transportation company to transport it to Beijing for sale without quality inspection. During the random inspection by the market supervision department on the way, it was found that the chlorpyrifos residue in the spinach was 0.3mg/kg, exceeding the national standard limit (0.1mg/kg) by 3 times. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the “Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law”, the law enforcement authorities conducted harmless disposal of the spinach, imposed a fine of 30,000 yuan on the wholesaler and 10,000 yuan on the transportation company, and traced back to the grower for corresponding punishment.

These typical cases show that China has “zero tolerance” for illegal transportation of fresh agricultural products. Regardless of the category and circumstances involved, illegal acts will be severely investigated and punished in accordance with the law to effectively safeguard public security and public interests.

IV. Industry Response and Compliance Transportation Suggestions

(I) Transportation Enterprises: Fulfill Main Responsibilities and Build a Compliance Defense Line

As the main responsible body for the transportation of fresh agricultural products, transportation enterprises should strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations, implement various compliance requirements, and eliminate illegal transportation acts.

1. Strengthen Qualification Management: Enterprises transporting animals, plants, and plant products should obtain corresponding transportation qualifications and be equipped with transport vehicles and equipment that meet requirements. For example, transporting cold chain fresh agricultural products requires refrigerated trucks to ensure that the temperature meets the standards during transportation; transporting animals requires the use of specially disinfected vehicles equipped with ventilation, protection, and other facilities.
2. Strictly Inspect Relevant Certificates: When undertaking fresh agricultural product transportation business, strictly inspect documents such as quarantine certificates, disinfection certificates, and quality inspection reports provided by the shipper to ensure that the documents are true and valid and consistent with the transported goods. Refuse to undertake transportation business for goods without relevant certificates, incomplete certificates, or suspicious certificates, and shall not provide transportation services for illegal goods.
3. Standardize Transportation Process Management: Establish and improve transportation management systems, and standardize the operating procedures for loading, transportation, unloading, and other links of goods. During transportation, take necessary protective measures to avoid damage and deterioration of goods; shall not arbitrarily change the transportation route or extend the transportation time; shall not mix transportation with prohibited goods. At the same time, keep transportation records, including goods name, quantity, source, destination, transportation time, temperature records, etc., to facilitate traceability management.
4. Strengthen Personnel Training: Regularly train drivers, escorts, and other practitioners on laws and regulations, safety protection, emergency handling, and other aspects to improve their compliance awareness and professional capabilities. For example, train practitioners on methods to identify infected animals and rotten agricultural products, master the key points of inspecting quarantine certificates and disinfection certificates, and understand the legal consequences of illegal transportation.

(II) Production Entities: Standardize Source Management and Ensure Product Qualification

Production entities such as farms and growers should control product quality from the source to ensure that fresh agricultural products meet transportation requirements and avoid illegal transportation due to unqualified products.

1. Strictly Fulfill Quarantine Declaration Obligations: Before transporting animals, plants, and plant products, declare quarantine to the local agriculture and rural department in accordance with regulations and obtain valid quarantine certificates. Provide true and complete information when declaring quarantine and shall not practice fraud.
2. Strengthen Quality and Safety Control: Growers should standardize the use of agricultural inputs such as pesticides and fertilizers, strictly abide by the safety interval regulations to avoid excessive pesticide residues; farms should strengthen epidemic prevention and control, standardize the use of veterinary drugs and feeds to ensure animal health. At the same time, conduct self-inspection of products, and promptly conduct harmless disposal of unqualified products to prevent them from flowing into the transportation link.
3. Choose Compliant Transportation Enterprises: When entrusting transportation, choose transportation enterprises with corresponding qualifications and good reputation, sign standardized transportation contracts, and clarify the rights and obligations of both parties. Shall not entrust unqualified and unprotected transportation enterprises or individuals to transport fresh agricultural products, and shall not require transportation enterprises to illegally transport unqualified products.

(III) Regulatory Authorities: Strengthen Collaborative Linkage and Improve Supervision Efficiency

Regulatory authorities should further strengthen collaborative cooperation, innovate supervision methods, improve supervision efficiency, and build a long-term supervision mechanism.

1. Improve the Legal and Standard System: Combine industry development and supervision practice, promptly revise and improve relevant laws, regulations, and standards, clarify the categories, definition standards, and legal responsibilities of fresh agricultural products prohibited from transportation, and provide a more powerful basis for supervision work. For example, promptly update quarantine standards and testing methods in response to new epidemics and new prohibited additives.
2. Strengthen Technological Empowerment: Promote the application of intelligent and information-based supervision methods to improve supervision efficiency and accuracy. For example, use big data, the Internet of Things, and other technologies to build a fresh agricultural product transportation supervision platform, realizing functions such as transport vehicle trajectory tracking, real-time temperature monitoring, and electronic verification of certificates; develop rapid testing equipment to improve the testing speed and accuracy of pesticide residues, prohibited additives, and epidemics.
3. Strengthen Joint Law Enforcement: Establish and improve an inter-departmental and cross-regional joint law enforcement mechanism, strengthen cooperation in information sharing, clue transfer, and case joint investigation to form a supervision synergy. Regularly carry out joint law enforcement actions to severely crack down on cross-regional and gang-related illegal transportation acts and avoid supervision loopholes.
4. Strengthen Publicity and Guidance: Through various channels such as the media, the Internet, and training, strengthen the publicity and interpretation of relevant laws, regulations, and policies, and improve the compliance awareness and risk awareness of production entities, transportation enterprises, and consumers. For example, publicize the categories of fresh agricultural products prohibited from transportation and the legal consequences, guiding production entities and transportation enterprises to consciously abide by the regulations; popularize knowledge on the safe consumption of fresh agricultural products, guiding consumers to choose legal and compliant products.

V. Conclusion

Explicitly prohibiting the transportation of certain fresh agricultural products is an important institutional design in China based on public health security, agricultural production safety, food safety, and ecological security, and a necessary measure to safeguard people’s well-being and promote the healthy development of the industry. These fresh agricultural products prohibited from transportation, whether infected animals, plants carrying harmful organisms, or products with excessive pesticide residues or rot, will cause serious harm to public health, the ecological environment, and agricultural production once they flow into the market.

At present, China has built a relatively sound legal system and multi-department collaborative supervision mechanism, achieving remarkable results in severely cracking down on illegal transportation acts through source control, inspection during transportation, special law enforcement actions, and other means. However, with the expansion of the circulation scale of fresh agricultural products and the diversification of transportation methods, supervision work still faces many challenges, requiring sustained efforts and long-term commitment.

For transportation enterprises and production entities, they should strictly abide by relevant laws and regulations, fulfill their main responsibilities, standardize business behaviors, and consciously resist illegal transportation; for regulatory authorities, they should further strengthen collaborative linkage, innovate supervision methods, improve supervision efficiency, and build a long-term supervision mechanism; for consumers, they should enhance safety awareness, choose legal and compliant fresh agricultural products, and promptly report illegal transportation acts to relevant departments if found.

Only with the joint efforts of all parties can we build a solid safety line for the transportation of fresh agricultural products, protect public health and ecological security, and promote the high-quality development of the fresh agricultural product industry. In the future, with the continuous improvement of the supervision system and the continuous innovation of technical means, the transportation control of fresh agricultural products in China will be more precise and efficient, providing strong support for comprehensively promoting rural revitalization and ensuring people’s livelihood stability.