The Council of Agriculture scheduled in Taipei and Kaohsiung on April 18 and 20 respectively two meetings for agricultural products exporters regarding how to cope with the newly-stipulated food safety law, which is to be amended on May 29, 2006, by the Japanese government. All enterprises, which export agricultural products to Japan, are welcome to take part.

As indicates by the Council of Agriculture, it has formed a small committee already to provide guidance, enabling Taiwan’s agricultural products to be exported to Japan in conformity with the new Japanese regulations. Regarding dealing with the new regulations of Japanese authorities such as the inspection item by item of agricultural chemical residue on agricultural products, formulation and modification of relevant domestic regulations, improving field management of insecticide and pesticide application technology, sufficiently upgrading pesticide residue inspection equipment and capability, full facilitation of inspection of fresh fruits before exportation, stepping up the promotion of education among farmers and exporters, and setting the timetable for guidance counseling work, the completion of all these before May 29 is to stabilize Taiwan’s agricultural exports to Japan.

To familiarize exporters with the content of the Japan’s newly-revised food safety law and the counter-measures employed, the Council of Agriculture schedule two meetings on “coping measures in accordance to new policy on pesticide residue pesticide employed by Japan” on April 18 and 20 for enterprises which export agricultural products to Japan. The first was to be held at 2 p.m. at the 12th floor international conference hall of the Forest Research Institute of COA in Taipei, and the latter was set at 10 a.m. at the international conference hall of the Deep Sea Fishery Research and Development Center of the Fishery Agency of COA in Kaohsiung. At the meeting relevant departments of the Council were to elaborate on the impact of the newly-implemented inspection system for pesticide residue by Japan on Taiwan’s agricultural products, introduction and counter-measures of the new criteria system for chemical residue by Japan, promotion of the new system on the inspection of pesticide residue, the establishment of management system to ensure safety of export products to Japan, inspection of chemical residue implemented by Japan on animal husbandry products, and the inspection flow procedure for agricultural pesticide residue on agricultural products before exportation and the newly-employed measures. In addition, the Council for Agriculture was planning a series of meetings for farmers and fishermen before the end of April.

Aside from inviting relevant enterprises to take part in the meetings, the Council of Agriculture also called upon farmers and exporters to cooperate in the light of these new measures so as to maintain the image of Taiwan’s agricultural products for quality and safety and to help expand the international market as well as to set better export sales records.