To further strengthen trade ties between the UK and Taiwan, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on organic products was signed virtually by John Dennis, Representative at the British Office Taipei, and Representative Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao at the Taipei Representative Office in the UK on 22 May 2024.
This is the first phase of the mutual recognition of organic standards between the UK and Taiwan; organic products that meet the standards will be able to access one another's markets. The MoU covers organic processed foods made from crops and/or livestock ingredients.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester, the UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Taiwan visiting Taipei said:
I have been delighted to see the UK-Taiwan relationship go from strength to strength in my time as Trade Envoy, and I am glad to see us take this step forward together in organic production because it contributes to sustainability as well as to rural development. It is also a vibrant commercial sector: the UK organic market now worth just over £3 billion, its highest level ever.
John Dennis, Representative at the British Office Taipei said:
Today's signing is another important milestone for the UK-Taiwan trade relationship and the result of many years of joint work. Taiwan is world-famous for its excellent food and drinks, and I have very much enjoyed sampling the great variety of Taiwanese cuisine in my time here. The UK also has a thriving food and drinks industry - Taiwanese consumers are already familiar with our beverage sector and are consistently within the top five export markets of Scotch Whisky. This MoU provides the opportunity for Taiwanese consumers to enjoy other excellent organic products, such as British biscuits, oatmeal, and British organic tea.
Vincent Chin-Hsiang Yao, Representative, Taipei Representative Office said:
In November last year (2023), Taiwan and the UK signed the ETP, which brings the two sides to a new era. Six months later, today we are going to sign this MOU, which will not only help the industries to promote business overseas, but also provide consumers with more options when they shop organic products! The UK is an important import source for Taiwan in agriculture products. Last year, the UK was the 8th import source for Taiwan, and the largest import source in Europe for Taiwan.
Rickie Jennings, Regional Agriculture Counsellor, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said:
As the co-chair of the annual UK-Taiwan Agriculture Dialogue, I am pleased to see cooperation on organics growing, including collaboration between our organic research centres. The MoU signed today ensures farmers in the UK that practice organic farming can now market the organic nature of their produce, adding value in what is a growing market. We are really looking forward to seeing UK organic products, ranging from dairy to snacks, on the supermarket shelves in Taiwan.
Jong-I Hu, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Agriculture said:
With the signing of this MOU, the UK will become the eighth country to establish a mutual recognition arrangement on organic equivalence with Taiwan and the first European country to formally enter into a trade partnership with us on organic agricultural products. We look forward to the smooth trade of organic agricultural products between Taiwan and the UK under this MOU, which will also enhance agricultural exchanges and cooperation between the two parties."
