The government would adhere to scientific evidence and international standards to ensure the quality of US pork containing ractopamine and US beef entering Taiwan, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.
The public’s preference for local pork would make it competitive against US pork, despite the latter being cheaper, Su told reporters, citing data showing that Taiwanese consume more local pork than imported pork.
The local pork market has a self-sufficiency rate of more than 90 percent, the data showed.
Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Taipei Times
As a nation that thrives on commerce, Taiwan must find ways to overcome trade barriers and conduct business with other countries to grow its economy, Su added.
The government would place the health of Taiwanese foremost, Su said, adding that it would implement measures such as source-tracing and clear labeling of pork and beef products.
The government would also establish a NT$10 billion (US$338.71 million) industrial development fund to support local hog farmers, he added.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Aug. 28 announced that Taiwan would allow the importation of US pork containing leanness-enhancing feed additive ractopamine and US beef from cattle over 30 months old, starting on Jan. 1 next year.
Separately yesterday, the Council of Agriculture amended an official notice from 2012 to clarify that the use, production and sale of ractopamine is banned in Taiwan, but that imported pork and beef are not regulated by the notice.
Offenders would face a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$300,000, the council said.
The penalty would increase to NT$500,000 to NT$2.5 million for those who repeat the offense within one year of receiving a fine, it said.
Meanwhile, the Chiayi City Government yesterday proposed an amendment to the city’s autonomous ordinance for food safety management to ban ractopamine residue in any pork product, even if the amount of residue falls within the safety range set by the central government.
Chiayi City Public Health Bureau Director Liao Yu-wei (廖育瑋) said that the amendment would take effect once it passes its third reading at the city council and receives an approval from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Autonomous ordinances contradicting higher laws or ordinances should be declared invalid, a Ministry of the Interior official said on condition of anonymity.
There would not be a situation of “one country, multiple systems” in Taiwan, the official said.
Executive Yuan spokesman Ting Yi-ming (丁怡銘) said that the central government would continue to communicate with local government leaders on the issue before the new policy takes effect.
Additional reporting by Chien Hui-ju
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