The Chinese government recently passed a law barring sewage or chemical waste discharges into agricultural areas, in an effort to improve food safety in the country.

The law will take effect from November 1. It came in response to a series of food-safety incidents caused by air, soil or water pollution seeping into croplands, the Xinhua news agency said.

The law forbids the discharge of sewage, waste gas, solid waste or other poisonous substances to the agricultural production areas together with a ban on growing or harvesting produce in areas where poisonous and harmful substances exceed statutory levels. It will also regulate the use of fertiliser, pesticides, veterinary medicine, feed and feed additives.

Meanwhile, at least a hundred villages in Quanzhou in China's eastern Fujian province attacked and ransacked four industrial units claiming it polluted the air and water in the area.