The Ministry of Agriculture is to study ways to identify the country of origin of oysters sold in traditional markets to distinguish between imports and domestic produce, Acting Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said on Monday.
At a legislative committee meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Yi-yu (蔡易餘) raised concerns that oysters from Vietnam could be mistaken for domestic oysters, hurting the income of local farmers.
Tsai said Vietnamese oysters are imported to Chiayi County’s Dongshih Township (東石), the nation’s biggest oyster farming area, in large amounts during the peak season and could be passed off as domestic oysters, and he asked Chen what was being done to identify imports.
Photo: Taipei Times
Chen said imported Vietnamese oysters most affected vendors at traditional markets, where the shellfish are sold in bulk, and he pledged that the ministry would study whether to label oysters or use signs to show their country of origin.
Meanwhile, Fisheries Agency Director-General Chang Chih-sheng (張致盛) said the ministry would hold a meeting in the next weeks to discuss issues related to labeling the country of origin, product name, net weight, quantity and expiry date of oysters.
It would then work with the industry and hold a meeting with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, he said.
Imports of Vietnamese oysters have been on the rise over the past few years, reaching 1,000 tonnes per year, but last year nearly 4,000 tonnes were imported, Tsai said.
He said most of the imports arrive between August and November or December, while the peak farming season in Dongshih is September to October, making it easy for imported oysters to be passed off as those raised in Taiwan.
As such, he urged the Ministry of Agriculture to prevent imported oysters from affecting local farmers’ income.
Chen said that Vietnamese oysters are usually imported when domestic production is insufficient or when it is negatively affected by the weather, because the imported oysters could be sold for a higher price.
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