Pesticide purchases go real-name starting July 1, making agricultural products safer and protecting farmers' benefits

To ensure the food safety of agricultural products, the Council of Agriculture is promoting a real-name system policy for pesticide purchases. On July 1, 2021 (ROC year 110), it announced amended regulations requiring retail pesticide sellers to additionally report the purchaser's ID card number or residence permit number when reporting sales data. Farmers and the general public are asked to cooperate when purchasing pesticides. Through pesticide purchase records, the identity of actual cultivators can also be verified, making agricultural policy more precise and effective. In addition, to improve the timeliness and accuracy of reporting pesticide production and sales data, the Council of Agriculture subsidizes businesses in purchasing computer equipment and conducts hands-on education and training to guide pesticide sellers in using the pesticide sales management POS system. Businesses are welcome to apply as soon as possible.

As long as you show your identification document the first time you purchase pesticides, you do not need to register again when buying across stores

The Council of Agriculture pointed out that in recent years consumers have increasingly valued the safety of agricultural products and the sustainable management of the agricultural environment. To guide agricultural operators in correctly using pesticides, it drew on the successful experience of the real-name system for fertilizer purchases and promoted the real-name system policy for pesticide purchases. Starting from the announcement and amendment on July 1, 2021 (ROC year 110) of the "Format, Content, Frequency and Methods of Periodic Reporting of Information by Pesticide Manufacturing or Selling Businesses as Prescribed under Article 35, Paragraph 2 of the Pesticide Management Act," the registration of the pesticide purchaser's ID card number or residence permit number was added. When farmers buy pesticides for the first time, they can show an ID card, driver's license or health insurance card to verify their identity. When repurchasing at a store with a POS system, they can provide their phone number, which automatically brings up previously registered information, or use the system's membership barcode, so no re-registration is needed when buying across stores, speeding up pesticide sellers' registration and reporting of pesticide purchase records. In addition, the Council of Agriculture has planned multiple subsidies for farmers. By checking real-name pesticide purchase records, it helps verify the identity of actual cultivators, making it easier to receive various subsidy policies in the future and ensuring benefits with greater peace of mind. Farmers' associations nationwide have taken the lead since May 18, 2021 (ROC year 110) in cooperating with the policy by registering pesticide purchasers' ID card numbers, and the trial implementation at each farmers' association has gone well.

The Council of Agriculture stated that during the promotion of the pesticide purchase real-name system, it communicated face-to-face many times with pesticide sellers and relevant plant protection associations. Taking their opinions into account, it added July 1 to December 31, 2021 (ROC year 110) as a guidance period. In addition, to meet the needs of businesses, an online form function was specially designed for their reporting use. As for the current Excel file upload reporting method, it can continue to be used until June 30, 2022 (ROC year 111). To help businesses become familiar with using the POS system and online forms, the Council of Agriculture will continue to hold education and training. Furthermore, to increase the usage rate of the POS system, it also stipulates that starting from January 1, 2022 (ROC year 111), retail businesses newly applying for and being issued a pesticide selling license shall report via the POS system or through network service interface connection.