TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and the EU signed an agreement to protect Oncidium and Phalaenopsis orchids in a major breakthrough, the Ministry of Agriculture said Tuesday.

The accord safeguards Taiwan’s central position in the global orchid supply chain, per CNA. EU Community Plant Variety Office Director Francesco Mattina and Agriculture and Food Agency Director Yao Shih-yuan (姚士源) signed the agreement at the ministry in Taipei in the presence of Deputy Minister Hu Jong-i (胡忠一) and Christoph Saurenbach, head of the Trade Section at the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan.

Taiwan and the EU will continue cooperation on plant variety rights for Phalaenopsis moth orchids and launch exports of Oncidium orchids, also known as golden shower or dancing orchids. Tuesday’s agreement will speed up export procedures for the two varieties to the EU, according to the ministry.

Exporters will save time as Distinctness, Uniformity, and Stability test documents issued by the ministry will allow them to avoid equivalent EU testing. The documents demonstrate that a plant variety is distinct from others, shows uniform characteristics within the variety, and retains those characteristics after reproduction.

Cooperation between Taiwan and the EU on plant variety rights began in 2016, with an agreement on Phalaenopsis orchids signed in 2023. The inclusion of Oncidium orchids followed several rounds of negotiations, the ministry said.

The intention is to expand the experience with orchids to cover other types of plants in order to promote Taiwan’s exports.