September 7, 2010

Taiwan to sell processed meat products to China

The Council of Agriculture (COA) said Saturday (Sep 4) that Taiwan will be able to sell about 50 types of processed meat products to China after the two sides complete negotiations on the quarantine and inspection of agricultural products.

The 50 items will include cooked pork, chicken, and dumplings, said Hsu Kuei-sen, chief of the COA's Animal Husbandry Department.

However, Hsu said he is not sure when the arrangements on quarantine and inspection will be finalised.

All 50 products will carry the certified agricultural standards (CAS) logo, he said, noting that the COA has registered Taiwan's CAS logo in China twice over the past five years in order to prevent it from being used by Chinese businesses.

Taiwan launched the CAS programme in 1989 to promote its premium agricultural products. A total of 6,138 products from 312 businesses in 14 categories have since received approval to use the CAS logo.