To actively promote quality and safe Taiwan agricultural products on the mainland Chinese market, the applications filed by the Council of Agriculture (COA) for registering Taiwan CAS quality farm produce and CAS organic agricultural product labels in mainland China have been approved by its Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

The COA noted that CAS labels have been greatly trusted by Taiwan consumers after being promoted for more than 20 years and become representative marks of quality Taiwan agricultural products. To enhance the value of CAS labels and strengthen the image of Taiwan production, the Council revised in November 2008 quality agricultural product label and organic agricultural product label as Taiwan quality agricultural product and organic agricultural products labels with the “CAS” design (as attached photos) and applied in May 2009 for their registration in mainland China. In line with the signing of Cross-Strait Cooperation Agreement on Intellectual Property Right Protection at the end of June 2010, Taiwan asked mainland China to accelerate the review of CAS label registration applications. Taiwan received the first batch of registration certificates in January 2011 after the mainland Trademark Office announced the review of CAS label registration applications on August 20 and November 13, 2010, respectively.

Following the trademark registrations, Taiwan producers selling agricultural products or processed products with CAS quality agricultural product label and organic agricultural product label will be protected from counterfeiting in mainland China while being separated from mainland Chinese products because of the CAS system management and use of CAS labels, said the COA. At present the annual output value of CAS quality agricultural products totals NT$45 billion and it is estimated to exceed NT$50 billion this year following the registration of CAS quality agricultural product labels in mainland China . Moreover, cultivation area for CAS organic agricultural products was 4,034 hectares at the end of December 2010 with annual output value of some NT2.4 billion. The registration of CAS Taiwan organic agricultural product labels is expected to increase the export of NT$100 million worth of such products and their processed products to mainland China .

The COA noted that official start of cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) and registration of CAS labels in mainland China have opened up new opportunities for Taiwan agriculture and the Council plans to create greater business opportunities and benefits by sponsoring a series of promotion activities in mainland China. ( 2011-01-11)