1. Amendments were promulgated to some provisions of the “Food Administration Act.”

2. Amendments were announced to “Items and Amounts for Agricultural Natural Disaster Relief,” with onions added to the list of crops covered; the revised rules came into effect from October 21, 2010.

3. Amendments were announced to the “Standards of Preferential Prices to Purchase Fuel for Powered Equipment Used in Fisheries.” It was determined that subsidies would be continued at 14% from 2011 through December 31, 2013.

4. The COA announced amended versions of Articles 2, 5, and 8 and Supplements 1 and 2 of Article 4 of the “Regulations for Administration of Veterinary Drug Dealers,” and the appendix of Article 2 of the “Regulations for Administration of Sales and Application of Veterinarian-Prescribed Drugs.” Under the new regulations, a legally registered and established company or shop with a qualified professional technician on-site can apply to be designated as a veterinary drug dealer, and can undertake retail sales of non-prescription pharmaceuticals for ornamental fish.

5. The COA announced that for all persons who took out low-interest loans following Typhoons Fanapi or Megi, in cases where such persons had previously taken out low-interest loans following Typhoons Morakot or Parma, the maximum time limit for the period of the loan, as well as the grace period for repayment of principal, would both be extended for one year.

6. New guidelines for novel applications of registered agro-pesticides (“label extensions”)—in this case 32 items for crops including strawberries and rhizomes—were announced.

7. In order to ensure that no harmful organisms would be transported into the country via plants for the Taipei International Flora Expo, a specific set of requirements were adopted governing the importation of plants for the event.

8. The COA participated, in the capacity of a “cooperating non-contracting party, entity or fishing entity,” in the Meeting of the Compliance Committee and the 17th Special Conference of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna. The meeting adopted a number of protective conservation and management measures for tuna, sailfish, sharks, and sea turtles. It also agreed to raise the upper limit on the number of operational boats from Taiwan fishing for bigeye tuna from 67 to 75, to help relieve pressures created by disruptions to fishing in the Indian Ocean caused by pirates.

9. A driftwood arts festival was held. On exhibition were sculpted-wood artistic creations of a wide variety of styles, using valuable and high-quality woods left as driftwood following Typhoon Morakot.

10. An event was organized to demonstrate to the public successful applications of information technology to agriculture, and how such applications can upgrade the overall operational environment for agriculture in Taiwan. For example, it was shown how RFID and WSN technology could be used in agriculture to increase management efficiency.

11. The COA set up a hall at the 2010 Taipei International Travel Fair to promote recreational farms, including a number of specific travel itineraries. The COA also set up a pavilion to exhibit “Agri-Gift Products of Taiwan” and the varied possibilities for rural travel experiences.

12. A series of marketing activities were held for domestic poultry and premium-quality meat products. In particular, the activities focused on high-value, high-quality meat products for the New Year.

13. Taiwan hosted the 2010 Asia Seed Congress. As part of the Congress, the COA held an exhibition of achievements in plant breeding carried out by agricultural research and experiment institutions, in order to demonstrate and promote the government’s breeding achievements. In addition, two demonstration nurseries were set up to exhibit plant varieties, giving an international audience a look at Taiwan’s success at creating high-quality seedling breeds and at technological innovation.

14. The COA held its 2010 expanded training exercise for personnel charged with preventing debris-flow disasters (such as landslides), strengthening awareness among citizens of the dangers from such events, and giving basic professional training in disaster-prevention to people living in high-risk areas.

15. Activities were held to promote premium-quality domestically produced seafood to consumers. One was a press conference at which 50 nominated products were displayed. Another was an online vote for people’s favorite premium domestically produced seafoods, held on the official website for premium seafood www.fish-feast.com.tw.

16. The COA announced the names of nine firms for outstanding achievements in the export of agricultural products in 2009. Award-winning firms had all been recipients of specialized certifications such as HACCP, ISO, CAS, and/or GAP, and their products were well-received by consumers overseas and at home.

17. As part of the 2010 Taiwan International Tourism Souvenirs Exhibition, the COA set up a special area at which the “Top 100 Products of Farmers and Fishermen’s Associations in Taiwan” were on display and available to consumers who wanted authentic products from rural hometowns. More than 10,000 visits were recorded during the course of the trade fair.