China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology China has announced that it will punish rare earth producers that do not stick to the set national production quota.
The Ministry posted a warning on its website last month stating that companies that exceed set quotas, or which continue to use non-environmentally friendly practices risk having their licenses revoked.
Companies will now be expected to hold certificates to prove: mandatory production plans; planning permission for production; process in place that has not been previously banned; environmental verifications; and safety licences.
An inspection task force was mobilised on 10 August with a mission to check that rare earth producers are abiding with government decrees. The inspection is to last until 31 December 2011.
The move follows rare earth processor and exporter Minmetals calling for a rare earth production halt in order to keep within national production quotas.
Minmetals believes the country...