I. Establishment of traceability systems for agri-products
Food safety has been a major concern in recent years. To address this issue, the COA has introduced traceability and certification systems to safeguard the quality and safety of agri-products and their processed commodities. This endeavor is an integral part of the New Agriculture Movement.
To establish sound traceability systems for agri-products, the COA has standardized good agricultural practices, built an information retrieval system on the entire array of production, processing, distribution and marketing activity and accredited third-party certification institutes. These activities are to gain public confidence in certified agri-products.
The above-mentioned activities were carried out based on various related regulations promulgated in 2007. During the year, the protocols for good agricultural practices were completed for 140 agri-products. Also the uses of agro-pesticides to control 123 different types of diseases and insect pests on cucurbits, solanaceous vegetables, leafy vegetables, heading vegetables and leguminous vegetables were published. In the same year, the COA accredited nine certification institutes, which include the National Animal Industry Foundation and the Food Safety Institute International. The COA assisted 17 regional certification institutes to install a nation-wide service network, and certified 300 plus production and marketing groups that follow good agricultural practices. The COA completed a website for Taiwan Agriculture and Food Traceability (TAFT) System (http://taft.coa.gov.tw), and installed 100 terminals in various supermarkets in the country for consumer access to the traceable agri-products. On June 14, 2007, three certification insignias, i.e., traceable agricultural products (TAP), organic traceable agricultural products (OTAP), and quality traceable agricultural products (UTAP), were officially approved for use. These labels will be used for quick identification to guarantee the origin of agri-products. The government also designated 2008 as the Year of Safe Agriculture to promote better understanding by the public.
