Dive Brief

• China has announced that only ships coming from Florida require disinfection certification, according to an update released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
• However, if a vessel loads or unloads in Florida or a Zika-infected country, or if adult mosquitoes, eggs, larva or infected cases are found during routine inspection, the vessel will be subjected to full disinfection certification.
• The update was issued following a review of Center for Disease Control and Prevention data by China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The FAS has provided the translated guidelines from China and a certification template on its website. 

Dive insight

Agricultural exporters were particularly worried about the new standards given a lack of clarity on the specific methods of disinfection and concerns over added supply chain costs or delays. Inspections could still be a burden for Florida's 15 ports — which traded $86.2 billion worth of goods in 3.5 million containers last year — but the new announcement is sure to relieve many freight carriers.

Previous Supply Chain Dive reporting noted the process could last up to four hours while expressing concerns over fumigant's effect on food-grade containers. Since then, documents provided by the FAS reveals the Chinese agency recommends surface and space spraying with Pyrethoid insecticides, fumigation with Sulfuryl fluoride and WHO-approved aircraft insecticides.

All the documents and the newest update by the FAS, however, are "unofficial" documents and do not represent the U.S. government's official export guidelines.