January

■ The COA provided guidance to help farmers’ and fishermen’s associations comply with the Labor Standards Act, the Labor Pension Act, and other labor legislation. As part of this process, amended versions of the “Regulations and Governing Personnel Management of Farmers’ Associations” and the “Regulations on Personnel Management of Fishermen’s Associations” entered into force.

■ The COA invited a delegation led by Mr. Anusorn Chantanaroj (from the Land Development Department of Thailand) to Taiwan to engage in bilateral exchange on the topic of soil and water conservation technologies, and hosted a meeting for government officials from Taiwan and Thailand.

■ Held a marketing strategies forum for Malaysian and halal foods.

■ Announced regulations entitled “Taiwanese Certificate of Health Examination for Poultry (Ducks and Geese).” These require that ducks and geese be accompanied by a health certificate signed by a veterinarian when they are being shipped from a farm to a slaughterhouse.

■ Held a competition and awards ceremony for the Taiwan top ten mullet roe products.

■ Held the 2015 Taiwan-USA bilateral fisheries cooperation talks.

■ Adopted a set of agricultural financial assistance measures for farmers in districts for which irrigation was suspended for the first growing season of 2015 (due to drought conditions).

■ Amended the attachment for Point 3 of the “Operational Directions for Applying and Issuing Certificate of Origin of Sharks and Manta Rays.”

■ Amended Point 6 of the “Directions for Fishing Vessels over 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Indian Ocean” and Point 6 of the “Directions for Fishing Vessels under 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.”

■ Attended the 1st APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and the 7th meeting of the APEC Expert Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade.

■ COA Deputy Minister James Sha led a delegation to the Philippines for the signing of an MOU on agricultural technical cooperation with the International Rice Research Institute, and attended the 6th Taiwan-Philippines conference on agricultural and fisheries cooperation held by the Philippine Department of Agriculture.

■ COA officials attended the 5th conference on Taiwan-Okinawa technology exchange in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.

February

■ The COA adopted a set of measures for agricultural financial institutions to assist with responding to the avian flu outbreak.

■ Amended the regulations entitled: “Construction of Inspection Station and Inspection Strategy for Avian Influenza.”

■ Amended the Determination Criteria for fines for violations of Paragraphs 1 and 7 of Article 34 of the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease.

■ The COA organized a press conference promoting consumption of more fish for Lunar New Year dinners and banquets.

■ Organized a ceremony to mark completion of the rebuilding of the south trunk line aqueduct over the Tsengwen River.

■ Amended the “Categories and Standards of Technical-Intensive and Capital-Intensive Agriculture,” and renamed them “Categorization Standards for Technical Intensive or Capital-intensive Agriculture.”

■ Assisted businesses to form a group to participate in the 25th Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival. Group members won a Trophy and six other awards.

■ Held a press conference to announce the start of Arbor Month activities.

■ Amendments were promulgated to Article 69-2 of the Fisheries Act.

March

■ The COA held a conference to discuss plans for resumption of poultry operations suspended because of an avian flu outbreak.

■ Convened the 23rd meeting of the task force on prevention of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

■ Completed the 4th meeting of the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Committee and amended the rules governing fishing vessels operating in the maritime area subject to the Taiwan-Japan Fisheries Agreement.

■ The COA held the 2015 ceremony to recognize debris-flow disaster-prevention specialists and confer awards for outstanding performance.

■ Organized the 2015 national Arbor Day event.

■ Promulgated the “Regulations for Registration of Veterinary Drugs.”

■ The COA held the following important international conferences in March: (1) the 1st conference of the executive committee for the 2015 cooperation program with the International Rice Research Institute; (2) the 2015 joint board meeting of the Taiwanese-German Association for Economic and Social Research; (3) the 2015 international symposium on “local production, local consumption” in agriculture; and (4) the International Symposium on Avian Influenza Prevention and Control.

■ Promulgated the “Regulations on the Reporting of Landing Declaration” (governing the filing of declarations for offloading of catch by fishing vessels).

■ Launched the “ifarmer” portal site (http://ifarmer.coa.gov.tw) as part of an effort to encourage young adults to take up farming.

■ Organized a workshop on testing sales channels in Japan, and led a group of firms to conduct visits there.

■ Held the 5th Taiwan-Thailand Conference on Agricultural Cooperation.

■ COA officials traveled to Beijing to attend the 10th meeting of the “Cross-Strait Trade in Goods Agreement” working group.

April

■ The COA announced amendments to three sets of distant-water fishing regulations: (1) “Directions for Fishing Vessels over 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Pacific Ocean”; (2) “Operation Directions for Management of Longliners of More than 20 Tons and Less than 100 Tons Fishing in the Eastern Pacific Ocean”; and (3) “Directions for Fishing Vessels under 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.”

■ Attended the 19th Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission in Busan, Korea.

■ At a disaster preparedness and risk management conference and exhibition, the COA Soil and Water Conservation Bureau showed advances achieved in recent years in R&D work on early warning and evacuation technologies.

■ The COA held a meeting to discuss resumption of suspended poultry operations at poultry farms where avian flu had been discovered, at farms located within a radius of one kilometer thereof, and at flu-free farms.

■ Promulgated the “List of Major Zoonotic Infectious Animal Diseases.”

■ Promulgated the “Operational Regulations for Taiwan Agricultural Product on Traceability.”

■ Announced amendments to the “Regulations for Guidance and Management of Recreational Agriculture” (governing the “leisure farm” industry).

■ Assisted businesses to form a group to participate in the Interkoi Show in Germany, where they took two first prizes and two second prizes in different divisions at the show.

■ The COA participated in the following bilateral meetings: (1) the 11th Taiwan-Canada Meeting on Agricultural Cooperation; and (2) the 9th Taiwan-Vietnam conference on agricultural and fisheries cooperation.

■ The COA also participated in the following multilateral activities: (1) the 48th board meeting of AVRDC—The World Vegetable Center; (2) training courses on reasonable use of fertilizers in cooperation with the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI); and (3) the 1st Council Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation (APFNet).

■ In addition, COA Deputy Minister James Sha led a delegation to attend the 18th General Session the of Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) Conference, where Taiwan was elected as a member of the AARDO Executive Committee.

■ The COA also provided funding to the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST) to support its 125th Regular Session on Land Policy for Sustainable Rural Development and 126th Regular Session on Land Taxation and Valuation. In addition, we dispatched personnel to attend the 47th meeting of the Board of Directors of the ICLPST and the 134th meeting of the Executive Committee of the ICLPST.

■ The COA amended the regulations governing “Scale of Livestock or Poultry Farming Operation Should Apply for the Registration of Farm.” We subsequently announced that the size of domestic livestock and poultry operations for which registration as a livestock operation is required would be lowered from 3,000 animals to 500 animals, effective as of the end of April of 2016.

May

■ Amendments were promulgated to Articles 50 and 52 of the Forestry Act.

■ Former COA vice-minister Wang Cheng-teng represented the central government in launching a campaign against the biting midge (Forcipomyia taiwana).

■ The COA held a press conference to mark the start of Water and Soil Conservation Month and to award certificates of recognition to schools that have done an outstanding job of conservation-related education.

■ Attended the APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS) Meeting.

■ Promulgated the “Charge Standards of Administrative Fee Collection for Anchorage at Marina Yacht in the Fishing Ports of First Category.”

■ Amended the “Directions of Application and Issuance for Source and Hygiene Certificate of Raw and Processed Farmed Fisheries Products Exporting to Mainland China.”

■ Held a conference on bio-safety at duck and geese operations and on measures to cover fowl trucks with netting.

■ Attended the 3rd Meeting of the Working Group on Convention Amendment of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT).

■ Held a conference of the task force of experts on greenhouse gas inventories in the agricultural sector.

■ Amended the regulations governing the handling of driftwood after natural disasters.

■ Convened a meeting to review implementation in 2015 of the program to restructure the coarse grains and specialty crops industry and build a new industrial value chain.

■ Worked with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to jointly issue a set of standards for the establishment of a feed oil factory.

■ Promulgated the “Directions for Electronic Reporting of Catch by Longliners under 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Operating in the Pacific or Indian Ocean.”

■ Amended and announced the: (1) “Regulations of Conduct for Executing Plant Protection and Quarantine”; (2) “Enforcement Rules of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Act”; and (3) “Regulations for Approving Imports of Designated Plants or Plant Products” (and renamed them the “Regulations for Approving Imports of Designated Plant Regulated Articles or Other Articles”). We also issued the “Regulations for Plant Regulated Articles Subject to Post-Entry Quarantine.”

■ Held a ceremony to present the 2015 Shennong Awards for the nation’s Top Ten farmers as well as awards for model farmers.

■ Formally inaugurated the COA Forestry Bureau’s Agricultural Innovation Incubation Center.

■ Held the 2015 Forestry Bureau national conference on nature education centers.

■ The COA Forestry Bureau’s Chiayi Forest District Office was named a World Gold Winner in the 2015 FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence Awards for its Hinoki Village restoration project.

■ The COA amended articles 3 and 6 of the “Regulations for Awards for Reporting and Detecting Contravention of the Agricultural Production and Certification Act.”

June

■ The COA dispatched personnel to the Netherlands to attend the 16th Taiwan-Netherlands conference on agricultural cooperation.

■ Amended the measures for agricultural financial institutions to assist with the response to the avian flu outbreak.

■ Formally launched a new section on its website where visitors can check for information on growers and sellers of agricultural products.

■ Held the 11th working meeting on the Cross-Strait Arrangement on Cooperation in Agricultural Product Inspection and Quarantine and the 8th cross-strait conference on quarantine and inspection of agro-products.

■ Worked with the Council of Indigenous Peoples to jointly amend the attachments to articles 4 and 6 of the “Regulations Governing Hunting Wildlife for Traditional Cultural or Ritual Purpose by Taiwan Aborigines.”

■ Amended the “Habitat Type and Area of Yilan County Wuweigang Major Wildlife Habitat.”

■ Amended the “Fine Determination Criteria for Illegal Slaughtering of Poultry” and the “Fine Determination Criteria for Illegal Slaughtering of Livestocks.”

■ Announced new regulations entitled: “Live Poultry, such as Chickens, Ducks, Geese and Turkeys are Prohibited from Displaying, Exhibiting and Selling in Retail Markets.”

■ Promulgated the “Regulations of Quarantine Operation for Plant Regulated Articles Entered and Stored in the Free Trade Zone.”

■ Announced amendments to the “Directions for Fishing Vessels over 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Indian Ocean.”

■ In collaboration with the Taiwan Venture Capital Association, jointly held a matchmaking fair for high-tech agro-businesses and a seminar on the development of key agricultural technologies.

■ Amended articles 18 and 22-1 of the “Regulations Governing Policy-Oriented Special Agricultural Loan.”

■ Convened the 25th meeting of the task force on prevention of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

■ Held a signing ceremony for an MOU on cooperation between the Republic of China and Papua New Guinea. The MOU was signed by Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw of the COA Fisheries Agency and Managing Director John Edward Kasu of the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority.

■ The Taitung Forest District Office’s Jhihben Nature Center, the COA Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, and the Tianpu Rural Regeneration Project in Tainan City’s Yujing District were each named winners of the 3rd National Environmental Education Awards. In addition, the COA Soil and Water Conservation Bureau’s Taichung Branch won recognition as an outstanding front-line services agency at the 7th Government Service Quality Awards.

■ It was promulgated that the “set period” referred to in Article 41-1, Paragraph 1 of the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases would be July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016; also, that the “specific animal diseases” would be: (i) highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), (ii) foot-and-mouth disease, and (iii) rabies.

■ The COA set up a Taiwan Pavilion at the Taipei International Food Show and used a “food safety” exhibit to draw attention to improvements that the government has made in Taiwan’s food safety system.

■ The Tzukuan (Ziguan) District fish market passed Australia’s TQCSI assessment review and became the first fish market in Taiwan to receive HACCP certification.

■ COA Deputy Minister Chen Wen-te led a delegation to Indonesia to discuss agricultural and fisheries cooperation.

July

■ The COA amended Point 4 of “Directions for Fishing Vessels over 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Indian, Pacific, or Atlantic Oceans” and Point 11 of “Directions for Fishing Vessels under 100 Gross Registered Tonnages Catching Tuna and Tuna-like Species in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.”

■ Held (a) a conference on avian flu prevention measures and compensation for destruction of domestic poultry, and (b) the 2nd conference on breeder livestock operations and the handling of breeder poultry in Changhua County.

■ Amended “Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Animals and Animal Products,” Point 3, Attachment 1-14 (Quarantine Requirements for the Importation of Day-Old Poultry and Birds and Hatching Eggs, Point 5), and Attachment 1-17 (Quarantine Requirements for the Importation from the United States of Day-Old Poultry and Birds and Hatching Eggs, Point 6).

■ The COA hosted, in Taiwan, the 12th Taiwan-Australia Agricultural Working Group Meeting.

■ Convened the APEC 2015 Expert Consultation on Assessment Methodology of Fishery and Livestock Losses.

■ The COA: (1) Set up a Taiwan agriculture pavilion at the 2015 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition; and (2) organized a “Pavilion of Agro-Technology” for Bio Taiwan 2015, an international bio-technology trade fair.

■ Held a press conference to announce the launch of the 2015 rural village pioneer awards.

■ Promulgated the “Regulations Governing Awards for Reporting of Animal Protection Offenses.”

■ Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw of the COA Fisheries Agency led a delegation to Japan to take part in Taiwan-Japan fisheries talks.

■ The COA held the 2015 WTO National Workshop on the SPS Agreement.

■ Held a press conference to announce a series of summer courses on flood prevention and preparedness.

■ Announced amendments to some articles of the “Regulations Governing the Selection and Appointment of the General Manager of Farmers' Associations.”

■ Held an exhibition to show the work of 2015 participants in programs at the Agricultural Innovation Incubation Center.

■ Assisted businesses to go to Brazil and participate in a meeting of orchid growers from Taiwan and Brazil.

■ Former COA Minister Chen Bao-ji led a group to Europe (France, Germany); the group also attended the Milan World’s Fair.

■ COA Deputy Minister James Sha traveled with President Ma Ying-jeou on a state visit to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nicaragua.

■ The COA dispatched personnel to Israel to attend the 28th meeting of the Animals Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES AC28).

■ In major legislative changes: (1) The COA finalized proposed amendments to the Forestry Act by adding Article 3-1, Chapter 5-1, Articles 38-2 to 38-6, and Article 47-1, and revising Articles 1 and 56. In addition, we specified 12 species of trees as being the source of “precious wood” as referred to in Article 52, paragraph 4 of the Forestry Act. (2) Amendments were promulgated to the Fisheries Act, adding Articles 40-1, 40-2, 63-1, and 63-2, and revising Articles 57 and 68.

August

■ The COA amended the “Regulations for the Use of Feed Additives.”

■ Promulgated the “Standards for Types and Tolerance Levels of Pathogenic Microorganism and Health-hazard Material in Pet Food.”

■ Amended Article 7 of the “Regulations for Registration and Administration of Livestock or Poultry Farming.”

■ Former COA vice-minister Wang Cheng-teng chaired the 2015 inter-ministerial meeting to review the mid-term success of the campaign against the biting midge (Forcipomyia taiwana).

■ In cross-strait agricultural developments: (1) COA Deputy Minister James Sha led a delegation to attend the 2015 Cross-Strait Forestry Forum. (2) The COA dispatched personnel to attend the 2015 cross-strait conference on management and technology in the field of veterinary medicine.

■ The COA held the 2015 seminar on risk assessments of plant pests.

■ Amended Article 30 of the “Regulations for Examining the Application of Structuring Farming Facilities on Agricultural Land.”

■ Promulgated the “Application Procedures and Audit Directions of Plant Protection Pesticides That Are Exempted from Registration.”

■ Attended the Executive Yuan conference on the state of the avian flu outbreak and measures to prevent and control the disease.

■ Held a press conference to announce the names of rice merchants that have been granted the right to use the “Taiwan Rice” quality logo.

■ Held the 1st 2015 investors forum on business opportunities related to agricultural technology.

■ The COA dispatched personnel to attend the 3rd APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting and the 8th Meeting of the APEC Experts Group on Illegal Logging and Associated Trade.

■ Taiwan became a member of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC).

■ The COA dispatched personnel to attend a conference on “APAARI Vision 2030.”

■ Promulgated the “Regulations of Subsidy for Academia and Research Institutions Promoting Industrial Innovations and Research Development by Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan.”

September

■ The COA promoted the new labeling management system for traceability of non-packed eggs.

■ Held a conference on advanced prevention measures against avian flu and a separate conference on measures to fight avian flu during the fall and winter.

■ Promulgated “Cleaning and Disinfection Measures for Animal Transportation Vehicles and Cages.”

■ The COA worked together with the Ministry of the Interior to jointly amend Articles 2 and 3-1 of the “Regulations for Constructing Farmhouses on Agricultural Land.”

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 2015 conference of the Bio Taiwan Committee.

■ Held a conference on strategy for sustainable use of agricultural land amidst climate change.

■ Held industry-specific round-table discussions on the impact of TPP accession on agriculture and how to respond.

■ Amended Point 3 of the “Directions of Application and Issuance for Source and Hygiene Certificate of Raw and Processed Farmed Fisheries Products Exporting to Mainland China.”

■ Held a conference on the current state of slaughterhouse sanitation inspection systems in Japan.

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 2nd meeting of the ANZTEC SPS Joint Management Committee. (ANZTEC stands for “the Agreement between New Zealand and the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu on Economic Cooperation.” SPS refers to sanitary and phytosanitary measures.)

■ Held the following awards ceremonies: (1) The 2015 awards ceremony for premium seafoods. (2) The awards presentation and exposition of products of the 5th “University and College Students Return to Rural Communities Competition.”

■ Working in collaboration with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO) and the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI), the COA organized the 2015 Multicountry Observational Study Mission on Revitalizing Rural Economies for More Inclusive Development.

■ The COA attended the 29th Conference of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Regional Commission for Asia, the Far East and Oceania.

■ The COA worked with the Ministry of the Interior to amend the “Regulations about Standards for Determinations of Farmers Engaged in Agricultural Work Applies to Join in Farmers' Health Insurance Programs and Examinations of Their Qualifications.”

■ Hosted a Taiwan-Japan consultative conference and research conference on scientific cooperation in fisheries.

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 6th cross-strait conference on regulation of agro-chemicals.

■ Held a local farming innovative marketing competition.

■ The COA was very active in APEC in September: (1) We worked with the Philippines and New Zealand to hold the 2015 APEC Seminar on Strengthening Public-Private Partnership to Reduce Food Losses in the Supply Chain of Fishery and Livestock. (2) We dispatched personnel to attend the 19th Annual Meeting of the APEC Agricultural Technical Cooperation Working Group. (3) We dispatched personnel to attend a meeting of the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology.

■ Dispatched personnel to Beijing to attend the 11th meeting of the working group on the Cross-Strait Trade in Goods Agreement.

■ Organized a group of firms to go to Malaysia and study opportunities for agricultural trade between Taiwan and Malaysia.

■ Organized a group to take part in the 2015 Food Ingredients Asia trade show.

■ Subsidized a workshop by the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center on the use of comprehensive crop management to improve safe production models.

■ Participated in the 2015 Taipei International Invention Show and Technomart.

October

■ In APEC-related developments: (1) The COA dispatched personnel to attend the APEC High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and the Blue Economy. (2) Former COA Minister Chen Bao-ji led a group to attend the 3rd APEC Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Forestry. (3) The COA dispatched personnel to attend the APEC Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS) Meeting.

■ The COA held the 2015 Taiwan-Japan conference on landslide preparedness, detection, and assessment.

■ Announced the “Regulations Governing Security Maintenance and Management of Personal Information Files for the Agricultural Financial Industry.”

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the Tenth Meeting of the Compliance Committee and 22nd Annual Meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna.

■ Held the 1st exhibition of achievements of the “Top 100 Young Farmers.”

■ Held a conference on the results during 2012-2015 of research on policies and systems for the building of food security systems.

■ Held the 2015 national awards ceremony for top-quality grouper fish.

■ Announced amendments to Supplement 1 of Article 3 and Supplement 2 of Article 4 of the “Veterinary Drugs Uses Regulations.”

■ Held the 2015 Taiwan Aquarium Expo.

■ Held celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the AMMOT training program.

■ Finalized the form to be used when filing an operational plan for the building of a farmhouse.

■ Held a forum on innovation and the future of rural villages, and an awards ceremony for the online illustrated essays on the subject of “discovering the energy in rural villages.”

■ Abolished the “Quarantine Requirements for Dogs and Cats Exported from Thailand into Taiwan” (eliminating requirements that such animals undergo avian influenza inspection and quarantine).

■ Announced amendments to the “Directions for the Import Quarantine Operations of Fruit Fly (Drosophila spp.) for Research Purposes.”

■ Amended the measures for agricultural financial institutions to assist with the response to the avian flu outbreak.

■ Held the 2015 Taiwan Agriculture Expo at Taipei Expo Park.

■ Amended the “Regulations Governing Performance Evaluation of Farmers Associations.”

■ The COA was extremely active in October in multilateral forums. We dispatched personnel to attend the following: (1) The 2nd Meeting in 2015 of the Steering Committee on Taiwan-IRRI Collaboration. (2) The 49th board meeting of AVRDC–The World Vegetable Center. (3) The 19th meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice for the Convention on Biological Diversity (SBSTTA 19). (4) The Asian Productivity Organization’s 56th Workshop Meeting of Heads of National Productivity Organizations.

■ In addition, we: (1) Provided funding to the International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST) to support its 127th Regular Session on infrastructure Development and Planning and the 128th Regular Session on Agricultural Development and Policy. (2) Dispatched personnel to attend the 135th meeting of the ICLPST Executive Committee.

■ Finally, we worked with the Asia-Pacific Association of Agricultural Research Institutions (APAARI) to jointly hold: (1) The 2015 International Symposium on Biopesticides and Biofertilizers for Sustainable Agriculture. (2) The 2015 International Symposium on Avian Influenza Prevention and Control.

■ The COA dispatched personnel to attend the 12th working meeting on the Cross-Strait Arrangement on Cooperation in Agricultural Product Quarantine and Inspection.

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 9th meeting on the Taiwan-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).

■ Held the 2015 conference on mountain hiking and mountain climbing.

■ The COA Forestry Bureau’s Chiayi Forest District Office was named a winner of a 13th Private Participation in Infrastructure Golden Thumb Award for its Hinoki Village restoration project.

November

■ The COA oversaw the launch of Taiwan’s first private-sector crop natural-disaster insurance products (for top-grafted pears).

■ In the area of bilateral cooperation in agriculture: (1) The COA Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine and its branches in Keelung, Taichung and Kaohsiung cooperated with Germany’s review of the phase two project to Strengthen Core Capacities at Designated Points of Entry under the International Health Regulations. (2) We dispatched personnel to Japan to attend a Taiwan-Japan tea industry technology meeting. (3) We held (in Taiwan) a workshop on the pork industries of Taiwan and Denmark.

■ The COA amended Article 9 of the “Application and Approval Regulations of the Elder Farmers’ Welfare Allowance.”

■ Promulgated the “Administrative Directions for Management of Export Production of Approved Orchid Facilities.”

■ We held two important conferences related to biodiversity: (1) The 2015 conference on the impact of climate change on biodiversity. (2) The 2015 Biodiversity Monitoring and Reporting Conference.

■ In the area of bilateral fisheries management: (1) Taiwan signed an agreement with the Philippines concerning cooperation on matters related to law enforcement in fisheries. (2) The ROC signed an inter-governmental fisheries cooperation agreement with the Solomon Islands.

■ The COA organized participation in three major trade fairs. (1) We set up a “Taiwan Agricultural Travel Pavilion” at the Taipei International Travel Fair 2015. (2) We set up a “Taiwan Fisheries Pavilion” at the Taiwan International Fisheries & Seafood Show. (3) We also organized a delegation to attend the Fourth Qatar International Agricultural Exhibition 2015.

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 24th Regular Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 12th talks on the ECFA Cross-Strait Trade in Goods Agreement.

■ Held, in cooperation with AARDO, a study visit for experts on “The Role of Information and Communications Technology in the Management of Agriculture and Rural Development.”

■ COA Deputy Minister James Sha attended the 109th working group meeting of the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC).

■ Other important conferences in November included: (1) A conference on responding to changed agro-product consumption patterns and the development of new sales channels. (2) A conference to announce breakthroughs during 2015 in research on agricultural innovations undertaken in response to climate change and food security concerns. (3) The 12th International Conference on Eco-Materials (in collaboration with the Taiwan Eco-Materials Industry Development Association).

■ Events to recognize excellence in November included: (1) A presentation ceremony for the 2015 slopeland preservation awards. (2) The 2015 exhibit on successful public and private forest operations & advances in forestry technology.

■ Working together with National Chung Hsing University, the COA held a “dialogue between top university students and agriculture.”

■ The COA organized activities to celebrate 2015 National Fishermen’s Day.

December

■ In bilateral meetings, the COA: (1) Attended the 2nd Taiwan-South Africa meeting on agriculture, forestry, and fisheries cooperation. (2) Dispatched personnel to attend the 22nd TECRO-AIT Sanitary, Phytosanitary and Agricultural Standards Working Group Consultations.

■ Promulgated “Feed Used for Livestock, Poultry and Aquatic Animals” and “Feed Additives Used for Livestock, Poultry and Aquatic Animals.”

■ Announced amendments to the following regulations dealing with food safety and healthful agricultural practices: (1) Article 5 of the “Enforcement Rules of the Plant Protection and Quarantine Act.” (2) Supplementary 1 of Article 6 and Supplementary 2 of Article 9 of the “Regulations of Organic Agricultural Product and Organic Agricultural Processed Product Certification Management.” (3) Points 2 and 5 of the “Fine Determination Criteria for Violations of Paragraph 1 and 7, Article 34 of Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease.”

■ Amendments were promulgated to Articles 45 and 46 of the Agro-Pesticides Management Act.

■ Amendments were promulgated to Article 19 of the Fishermen Association Act.

■ The COA assisted the Ministry of the Interior in amending Article 5 of the Farmers’ Health Insurance Act (for which the MOI is the competent authority) to require that farmers’ association members and non-members can all purchase farmers’ health insurance under the same conditions.

■ Announced amendments to the “Organization Regulations of Animal Shelters.”

■ Announced “Office/Working Hours Regulated by the Government Based on Paragraph 5, Article 29 of Animal Industry Act.”

■ Dispatched personnel to attend the 12th Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

■ The Hope Farmers’ Market re-opened in Taipei.

■ The COA held a variety of year-end ceremonies to recognize excellence including: (1) The 2015 awards for the “creative ideas for agricultural finance” competition. (2) An exhibition of successes in the traceability system for production and sale of agro-products. (3) The awards ceremony for the ten most outstanding agricultural production-and-marketing groups (APMGs) for 2015. (4) The 2015 rural community navigator awards. (5) An exhibition of premium agricultural products from Taiwan.

■ The COA’s “Rural Up!” project won 3rd place in the Asian Region in the 2015 Reimagine Education Award competition, an event organized by the Wharton School of Business in the US.

■ In the area of multilateral cooperation, the COA dispatched personnel to attend: (1) A joint meeting of the APAARI Executive Committee, the 17th APCoAB Steering Committee, and the 13th APARIS Steering Committee. (2) The Tenth WTO Ministerial Conference. (3) The APAARI High Level Policy Dialogue on Investment in Agricultural Research for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific Region.

■ In addition, former COA Minister Chen Bao-ji: (1) Led a group to the Philippines to attend a ceremony for the opening by the Grobest Group of a new feed production plant, and to pay a visit to Director General Robert Zeigler of the International Rice Research Institute. (2) Attended the 100th meeting of the Executive Board of the Food and Fertilizer Technology Center (FFTC).

■ The COA held a meeting to discuss the sale in Taiwan of cloven-hoofed animals from Kinmen County.

■ Held a round-table discussion of strategies for recruiting and training a new generation of agricultural workers.

■ Held a “Buy 500, Get 100 Free” activity to promote online sales of domestic agricultural products.

■ Construction projects of the COA’s Taiwan Forestry Bureau won three medals at the 15th Public Infrastructure Awards for: (1) a project to separate vehicular traffic from foot traffic on a popular forest road on Mount Chu; (2) a water conservancy project connected with restoration of forest compartment 69 in Yujing District following a landslide; and (3) a water conservancy project in forest compartment 108 of the Alishan operations district.

■ The Alishan guesthouse of the Taiwan Forestry Bureau’s Chiayi Forest District Office was included on a list of the most environmentally friendly buildings of 2015.

■ A COA project to protect forests while tapping into their public interest function won a 2015 National Sustainable Development Award.

■ The COA held activities to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of the Alishan Forest Railway and commemorate its sister railway relationships.