The controversy over US beef imports showed no sign of abating yesterday after legislators across the political spectrum stood together in demanding that the government re-open negotiations with the US.
Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) faced tough questions over the government’s negotiations with the US and accusations that the process had not been transparent.
Taiwan agreed to lift a ban on US bone-in beef from cattle younger than 30 months in a protocol it signed in Washington last month.
PHOTO: LIU JUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Legislators said they had not been aware of either the negotiations or what was discussed.
“As the whole process has not been transparent, I don’t think the public can accept the risks,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ying (陳瑩) said. “Furthermore, as even the government does not fully know the risks involved, how can we [lift the ban on these beef products]?”
Claiming that allowing US bone-in beef was “just too risky,” legislators urged the government to throw out the results of the negotiations, which they called a “humiliation” and said had “forfeited the nation’s sovereignty.”
The legislators called for a new round of talks.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said last week that re-opening the negotiations after they had already been concluded would damage Taiwan’s credibility.
Despite this, several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers called for new negotiations.
“There is an absolute need to re-open the negotiations,” KMT Legislator Cheng Ru-fen (鄭汝芬) said.
In reference to the risks associated with US beef, she said: “Instead of the government saying that consumers should be careful, it is the government that should be more careful.”
The health department has said it has the necessary facilities and expertise to ensure that allowing in US bone-in beef would carry minimal risks.
As a result, officials said the risk of consumers contracting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was around “one in 10 billion.”
KMT Legislator Wu Chin-chih (吳清池) disagreed and asked to see how the government had reached that figure.
He later said that if the government could not back up those figures, he would fight its beef policy in the legislature.
DPP Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) criticized the health department for making up its mind on the beef policy before hearing the opinions of lawmakers or the public.
“It is clear that the DOH has already made up its mind to release this protocol with or without the approval of this committee,” she said.
In response, Yaung said that the health department respected the authority of the legislature.
Meanwhile, the DPP said yesterday that a referendum on the issue must be held to force the government realize that the public disapproves of its decision.
The party was throwing its weight behind a petition for a referendum initiated by various civic organizations.
The Consumers’ Foundation and several other groups are seeking at least 90,000 signatures to launch a referendum application that would ask the public whether it wants the government renegotiate its agreement with the US.
While the government and the US have repeatedly said that the meat is safe, local DPP and KMT politicians have also voiced opposition to the policy, citing potential health threats.
DPP city council members in Kaohsiung and Hsinchu said they would lead a street demonstration if the government refuses to heed the public’s calls.
DPP Spokesman Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) quoted a press release from the Nebraska state government that stated a protocol had been signed and a public review in Taiwan is pending.
“Following that review, the agreement is set to go into effect on Nov. 2. It will allow for the import of bone-in beef from cattle younger than 30 months of age. Currently Taiwan only accepts beef in that age group that is boneless. After 180 days, government officials will review the 30 month age limit and consider full trade access for US beef,” the statement said.
Tsai said that the press release from the government showed there were still many questions that needed to be answered on the beef policy.
The review in six months means US beef exports to Taiwan are not a done deal as the government has said, Tsai said.
The protocol is available on the health department’s Web site in English. So far, the government has not released a Chinese translation of the agreement for public view.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
The National Immigration Agency has banned two Chinese from returning to Taiwan, after they published social media content it described as disrespectful to national sovereignty. The agency imposed a two-month ban on a Chinese man surnamed Liang (梁) and a permanent ban on a woman surnamed Yang (楊), an influencer with 23 million followers, in October last year and last week respectively. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting that Chinese visitors to Taiwan are required to comply with the rules and regulations governing their entry permits. The government has handled the ban and
RSS