An organic tea farmer in Yilan County’s Sansing Township (三星) has received multiple complaints after a China-based Web site allegedly used his organic certification to sell products it claimed had medicinal effects without his permission.
Hsieh Chao-yang (謝朝陽), 51, took over his family’s farm more than 30 years ago after completing his military service.
Eleven years ago, he applied for Certified Agricultural Standards status from the Taiwan Accreditation Foundation, which he received four years later, he said.
Photo: Lin Ching-lun, Taipei Times
Hsieh’s farm produces a variety of tea including black, green, oolong and a type that he said helps with sleep.
Six months ago, he discovered that his certification was being used fraudulently to sell tea products claiming to able to treat tinnitus and hearing loss, he said, adding that his personal information was also published on the Web site.
Since then, many people have been calling him to complain that the products were ineffective and falsely advertised, he said on Sunday last week.
Others have called to order the products described on the Web site, which he does not sell, he said, adding that he has been losing sleep and the reputation of his business has been severely damaged.
The IP address of the Web site is in China, so neither Hsieh nor the foundation has been able to track down those responsible, he said.
The foundation told him that it would warn that the Web site’s certification is false in an official announcement, and Hsieh has made announcements on Facebook, but to limited effect, he said.
He said the issue as left him feeling helpless.
Obtaining organic certification is a long process and many Taiwanese organic farmers have encountered similar situations, he said.
The Council of Agriculture should take the problem seriously, offer farmers advice and think of ways to prevent Chinese firms from using Taiwanese farmers’ organic certificates, he said.
The council said that it last year helped a Miaoli County farmer film a short video to clarify matters in a similar case and it could help Hsieh do the same if he wanted.
It is difficult to trace overseas IP addresses, police said.
They would ask Chinese police to provide a physical address if the IP address is Chinese, but Chinese authorities often refuse to do so due to data protection rules, complicating investigations, they said.
The Yilan Agriculture Department said that Hsieh’s case falls outside its remit and would need to be handled by police and the judiciary.
Apart from stepping up publicity efforts, there is little it can do, the department added.
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