In order to produce safe agricultural products and help consumers consume safely, Council of Agriculture has promoted the Tracking System recently with greater fervor, trying to keep up with the EU and Japan, the developed countries which focus on consuming safety. Last year, the Council of Agriculture took the EurepGAP (approved by Codex Alimentarius in July 2003) and JGAP from Japan as reference to set up TGAP, which is the same standard with developed countries in the world. The Council of Agriculture has begun to use TGAP to guide the testimonial production and marketing classes to operate every aspect of tracking and also provide agricultural products information, products inspection results and other information that can be tracked. This year the Council of Agriculture further establishes the Tracking System to confirm the correctness of related information of traceability from farms to tables and to be the gatekeeper of consumers’ safety.

The Council of Agriculture indicated that the third-party accredited Tracking System is carried out by the accredited organizations which are qualified by ISO/ IEC GUIDE 65. These organizations examine the process of how farmers produce the food products and the product itself. After the inspection, if the information of traceability is correct and the residual of pesticide is below standard, the product is passed the inspection and allowed to post Tracking System stamp issued by the organization. Council of Agriculture emphasized that in order to connect with international inspection standard and to help domestic food products approved by domestic accredited organizations become certified in the international market, the Council of Agriculture has already entrusted the “Taiwan Accreditation Foundation” validated by international certification organizations to handle the inspection business in Taiwan. Council of Agriculture hopes to strictly check on our consuming safety using international standards.

In addition, Council of Agriculture noted that Tracking System is a pioneering work to connect domestic agricultural products inspection system with international examination system. Council of Agriculture has already finished establishing the basic framework and related standards of its Tracking System. It entrusted Taiwan Accreditation Foundation to hold a public inspection instruction seminar on November 3rd. 45 domestic potential inspection organizations were invited and the related inspection work is detailed explained in the seminar. There were 28 organizations, including universities and colleges, related agricultural groups and inspection organizations expressing their willingness to devote themselves into food products traceability inspection work. It shows the great potential of domestic agricultural products inspection business. In order to help the above mentioned organizations to understand deeply the fine agricultural standards and the full content of ISO/ IEC GUIDE 65, Council of Agriculture held a two-day basic training course on November 9th and 10th. The course provided the organizations basic knowledge of agricultural products traceability inspection related processes, thus these organizations could start to plan the following inspection business and apply for inspection related works as soon as possible.
　
The Council of Agriculture indicated, to achieve the goal of “buy agricultural products approved by Tracking System in domestic mass merchants and chain stores within 3 years” is one of the work items in the “New Agriculture Movement”, it establishes food products Tracking System to provide safer food products to consumers. Council of Agriculture also provides guidances and assistance case by case regarding inspection facilities and manpower training. It hopes to guide organizations to pass the process soon and help them successfully become one of the qualified food products Accredited Tracking System organizations.