The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday raised objections to moves by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ease an import ban on produce carrying certain types of pesticide residues, as their use is still banned within Taiwan.
The FDA made the decision in response to a request by Japanese exporters, whose imported strawberries have recently been seized at the border due to pesticide residue.
The exporters in a February report on the contraventions requested that the FDA set residue limits on the pesticides chlorfenapyr and flonicamid instead of banning them outright.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Although the pesticides are not authorized for use in Taiwan, they are used in Japan due to different environmental conditions, FDA Food Safety Division deputy head Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智) said at the time.
The agency is collecting opinions on the matter before the ban is eased.
The health of Taiwanese should be a priority in the decision, KMT caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) told a news conference in Taipei also attended by farmers’ representatives.
The KMT opposes lifting the import ban given that the pesticides in question are not authorized for use in Taiwan, Tseng said.
The caucus questioned whether the decision was made due to pressure from Tokyo, or if the government was prematurely acquiescing to Japan’s demands, he said.
“Where do the consumers’ interests lie in all of this?” Tseng asked.
The government has been “burying its head in the sand” to pretend that issues such as air pollution and energy shortages do not exist, KMT deputy secretary-general Lin Szu-ming (林思銘) said.
Instead, it shifts standards to make it seem as though no problem exists, such as by adjusting air quality standards or barometers of low energy capacity, he said.
The government also reduced food safety standards to allow imports of pork containing ractopamine and food from “nuclear-affected areas,” Tseng said, adding that it is using the same strategy for Japanese strawberries.
The administration is trading the nation’s health to appease its “so-called allies,” KMT Legislator Hsu Chih-jung (徐志榮) said.
Farmers work hard to abide by pesticide regulations and are subject to regular testing to ensure that citizens have safe food to eat, Hsu said, adding that the FDA should step up inspections instead of allowing the imports.
If someone is harmed after eating contaminated strawberries, it could affect the entire industry, said Hsu Chin-chih (徐欽志), executive director of the farmers’ association for Miaoli County’s Dahu Township (大湖), which is known for growing strawberries.
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