Agricultural and Fishery Products Quality Control Act.

The purpose of this Act is to contribute to increasing the income of farmers and fishermen and protecting consumers by securing the safety of agricultural and fishery products, improving the merchantable quality thereof, and facilitating fair and transparent trade through the appropriate quality control of agricultural and fishery products. The Text consists of 123 Articles divided into 9 Chapters: General Provisions; Standards for and Quality Control Of Agricultural and Fishery Products; Geographical Indications; Labeling of Genetically-Modified Agricultural and Fishery Products; Safety Inspection of Agricultural and Fishery Products; Designation of Specific Sea Areas and Registration and Management of Production or Processing Facilities; Inspection and Certification of Agricultural and Fishery Products; Supplementary Provisions; Penalty Provisions.
The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs or the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries shall establish the Council on the Quality Control of Agricultural and Fishery Products under his or her jurisdiction to deliberate on matters concerning the quality control of agricultural and fishery products, processed fishery products, etc. (art. 3) . In order to implement agreements with foreign countries or meet certain sanitary standards of foreign countries, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries shall determine and announce sanitary control standards for facilities where fishery products for export are produced or processed and sea areas where fishery products are produced (Art.69). The Minister of Oceans and Fisheries may designate and announce a sea area meeting sanitary control standards under Article 69 (art.71). in order to prevent the contamination of fishery products produced in designated sea areas, the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries may restrict or prohibit an aquaculture business right holder from using veterinary drugs in the relevant aquaculture facility within a designated sea area and adjacent sea areas (art.73). The Minister of Food and Drug Safety shall formulate and implement a safety management plan each year to improve the quality of agricultural and fishery products and to produce and supply safe agricultural and fishery products (art.60). The Act further makes provisions for: designation of facilities meeting good agricultural practices, hazard analysis and critical control points, comprehensive measures for sanitary control of designated sea areas, reporting on matters concerning sanitary control, inspection and certification of agricultural and fishery products; etc.