Environmental authorities will be inspecting farmland and construction sites this year in their fight against soil pollution.

The authorities will monitor farmland to ensure that no hazardous, toxic or polluting materials are present at major farms or key agricultural production bases, Zhou Shengxian, minister of the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), said yesterday at the year's first national soil pollution control meeting in Beijing.

SEPA inspectors will focus especially on farmland involved in the vegetable basket program, a project designed to ensure an adequate supply of fresh and safe non-staple food, he said.