Academics and representatives of local meat and civic groups yesterday expressed concern about the controversial animal feed additive ractopamine, saying the government should be cautious about opening up to imports of US meat products containing the drug.
The use of ractopamine would bring “additional and unnecessary risk” to food safety and more assessments and tests — in particular on the drug’s effect on high-risk groups, such as pregnant women and people suffering from chronic diseases — need to be conducted, many of the representatives said in a public hearing at the legislature in Taipei.
The hearing, organized by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡), was held in the midst of a nationwide discussion about the possibility of easing restrictions on imports of US meat products containing the additive.
Photo: CNA
“One thing’s sure: It’s not zero-risk when you talk about ractopamine,” said Chou Chin-cheng (周晉澄), dean of National Taiwan University’s School of Veterinary Medicine.
“Despite available data showing that the effect of ractopamine on the human body is relatively low, why do we need the additional risk when we can exclude the drug from our food?” he said.
Adding to people’s concerns was the government’s sub-par performance with regard to preventive measures imposed on US beef imports since 2009 — when Taiwan lifted bans that had been introduced amid concern over mad cow disease — and the government’s non-transparent approach in dealing with the current dispute, Chou said.
Lin Chiu-kuei (林秋桂), vice president of the Republic of China Swine Association, said the country’s pig farmers opposed the US imports and would protest vehemently if the association’s negotiations with the government broke down.
“Taiwan’s agriculture and the health of Taiwanese should not be sacrificed for foreign trade benefits,” Lin said.
Kinmen County Councilor Chen Tsaing-chiang (陳滄江) proposed holding a national referendum to resolve the issue.
The US sells ractopamine-free meat products to the EU, where the drug is banned, so Taiwan should be entitled to demand the same treatment, Homemakers’ Union and Foundation chairperson Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said.
“If concessions are inevitable in bilateral trade negotiations with the US, the government should at least honestly tell us what we can get by making the sacrifice,” she said.
Government officials made conservative remarks at the hearing, held on the same day as an inter-agency meeting of the Executive Yuan.
The US has repeatedly brought the issue to the negotiating table, but Taiwan expressed hope that the issue of ractopamine would not be linked to other trade issues, said Jie Wen-ji (介文汲), deputy chief representative of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Office of Trade Negotiations, adding that Taiwan’s negotiation stance has been stronger than that of South Korea.
The government also expressed hopes to the US that talks on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement would resume, he said, but that it would be a decision for the US to make.
With no consensus reached so far, the Executive Yuan did not set a timetable to settle the issue, said Huang Kuo-ching (黃國青), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.
Taiwan could look at Japan’s policy of selling US meat products only at American wholesale stores, such as Costco, Huang said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS