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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Economy & Trade

Taiwanese Scholars Urge Relaxation of Seedling Sales Regulations for Hobbyists

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Taiwan's Seed Law requires sellers of seedlings to have a registration certificate, with potential fines up to NT$300,000.
  • Scholars suggest relaxing the requirement for hobbyist gardeners with low transaction volumes.
  • The Agricultural and Food Agency clarified that ornamental or edible plants do not require a certificate, but acknowledged inconsistencies in local enforcement.

A regulation under Taiwan's Seed Law mandates that anyone selling seedlings must possess a registration certificate, a rule that has sparked concern among hobbyist gardeners, often referred to as "green thumbs." Violators face potential fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$300,000, prompting discussions about the law's applicability to casual plant enthusiasts.

The Seed Law requires anyone selling seedlings to have a registration certificate.

— Liberty TimesStating the core requirement of the Seed Law.

The Agricultural and Food Agency (AFA) has reiterated that the registration requirement does not apply to plants sold for ornamental purposes or for consumption. However, this clarification has not fully addressed the anxieties of many green thumbs who engage in the exchange of plants among themselves. The AFA acknowledged that enforcement and interpretation of the regulations can vary across different local governments and pledged to issue further clarifications soon.

The Agricultural and Food Agency emphasizes that if the plants are for ornamental or edible use, no certificate is needed.

— Agricultural and Food AgencyClarifying the scope of the registration requirement.

Professor Kuo Hua-jen, an emeritus professor at National Taiwan University's Department of Agronomy, proposed that the regulations should be revised to include a threshold based on sales volume or business turnover. He suggested that hobbyist gardeners with minimal transactions should be exempt from the registration requirement. Kuo noted that the "Seed Law," enacted in 1988, has long had ambiguities regarding who needs to register, which has historically fostered a vibrant community of private growers and breeders, contributing to market diversity.

The regulation should be revised to require registration only for those with a certain turnover or sales volume, exempting players with low transaction volumes.

— Kuo Hua-jenProposing an amendment to the Seed Law to accommodate hobbyist gardeners.

Kuo warned that overly strict regulations could stifle this market. He also questioned the effectiveness of registration in preventing pest and disease outbreaks, pointing out that many invasive species enter Taiwan through plant smuggling. Kuo argued that pest control and the management of individual hobbyist plant sales should be treated as separate issues.

If the qualifications are too restrictive, it could directly stifle the market.

— Kuo Hua-jenWarning about the potential negative impact of strict regulations on the plant market.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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