International Trade Policies: Taiwan

The United States (U.S.) has an equivalence arrangement with Taiwan. The equivalence arrangement grants USDA certified organic products access to Taiwan’s market and grants Taiwan certified organic products access to the U.S. market.  This means that organic products certified to either the USDA or Taiwan organic standards may be labeled and sold as organic in both markets, as long as the products meet the terms of the arrangement.

Scope. This equivalence arrangement is limited to trade directly to or from the U.S. and Taiwan. For U.S. exports to Taiwan, the arrangement is limited to products certified to the USDA organic regulations that are produced or have had their final processing occur within the United States. For Taiwan exports to the U.S., the arrangement is limited to products certified to the Taiwan organic regulations that are produced or have had their final processing occur on Taiwan.

Allowed product categories: Crops, Wild Crops, Livestock, Processed Products.

Terms of the Arrangement. Generally, USDA and Taiwan certified organic products are eligible for trade under this equivalence, but there are some stipulations.

The following are additional requirements for Taiwan certified organic products exported to the U.S:

  • Agricultural products derived from animals treated with antibiotics shall not be sold, labeled, or represented as organic in the U.S.
  • Aquatic animals (e.g., fish, shellfish) are not included in the equivalence arrangement and are not eligible to use the USDA organic seal. 

The following are additional requirements for U.S. certified organic products exported to Taiwan:

  • “Made With Organic” (MWO) products are not allowed. All organic products exported under the agreement must be 95% organic content or greater, and 100% organic products may only be labeled as “organic.”
  • Single-ingredient honey is not allowed. (Organic honey is allowed as an ingredient with no limit on the percent content.)
  • Milk fortified with vitamins must be labeled as “fortified milk” and not “fresh milk.”
  • Agricultural products derived from animals must be from livestock not treated systemically with analgesics, including procaine and lidocaine.

Trade Documentation.

Exports of USDA Organic Products. Organic products exported to Taiwan under this arrangement must be accompanied by a USDA Export Certificate, Form TM-11 (pdf), issued by a USDA-accredited certifying agent. To issue the TM-11 Export Certificate, certifying agents must verify that the products comply with the terms of the trade arrangement. All USDA-accredited certifying agents may issue Form TM-11 for compliant organic exports to Taiwan.

The TM-11 export certificate must be signed by a USDA-accredited certifying agent and must include the following statement: 

“Certified in compliance with the terms of the AIT/TECRO-NOP/AFA Organic Equivalence Arrangement." 

Certifiers are to use acronyms assigned in the USDA Organic INTEGRITY Database when completing the TM-11 Export Certificate, as described in the TM-11 Instructions.

U.S. Imports of Taiwan Organic Products. Taiwan organic products imported to the U.S. under the arrangement must be associated with an electronic organic import certificate, called the NOP Import Certificate (pdf). NOP Import Certificates are generated by Taiwan-accredited certifying agents in the NOP’s GLOBAL Organic Integrity Database. The documentation must include this statement:

“Certified in compliance with the terms of the AIT/TECRO-NOP/AFA Organic Equivalence Arrangement."

Oversight. The U.S. and Taiwan assess each other’s systems on a regular basis to ensure that the terms of the arrangement are being met and equivalence is maintained. Both parties notify each other of any changes which could affect the terms of the arrangement. Any concerns are resolved by the Organic Working Group, which meets regularly and includes experts from both countries.

Peer Reviews. Since the establishment of this arrangement, the U.S. and Taiwan have conducted mutual peer reviews. These assessments verify that both markets are meeting the terms of the arrangement.

Historical Documents

Resources