BEIJING - China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the nation's top economic planner, announced Sept 19 that it has lowered the fees for animal and animal product quarantine.

The move aims to cut the circulation cost and help relieve corporate burden, the NDRC said on its website.

In a circular jointly issued by the NDRC and the Ministry of Finance, the national standard charges for animal and animal product quarantine were all reduced by at least 30 percent.

Meanwhile, the charges will be done on a quantitative basis which replaces the fixed-rate charging model used in the past, the circular stated.

The circular also lowers the charging standards for quarantining animal and animal products with batch production.

Local authorities should not top the national charging standards when setting theirs, the circular said.

Practices such as duplication of charges and charging production cost for quarantine badges and signs are also banned in the circular.

The circular ordered local authorities to strengthen the quarantine management and strictly regulate the charges.