Just like its predecessor, the government cites various health assessments and claims that the risk of contracting vCJD by eating US beef is one in several hundred million. But don’t forget that, three years ago, the government refused to allow imports of US bone-in beef because it said bone-in beef carried a higher risk of mad cow disease. This is contradictory to the reasons currently given for relaxing restrictions on US beef imports. Also do not forget that the US sells around 36 million head of cattle every year, only 1 percent of which is checked for mad cow disease. This means that more than 35 million unchecked cows are exported. We can imagine how high the potential risk of contracting vCJD by eating US beef would be. Both Japan and the EU check each animal they import. Government officials continue to play a numbers game with the public and continue to fail to understand why people are so panicked about US beef. This is the fifth lesson we have learned.
Officials all the way up to the president claim that strict standards will be used for US beef imports, but would the public believe such claims in the current climate?
The central government has not only failed to guard national health, it has also shifted risk liability to individuals. On the one hand, the Cabinet “gently expects” self-discipline of businesspeople, while on the other the government claims negotiations with Washington were difficult. The logic behind Taiwan’s national security concerns remains at the level of developing countries, prioritizing economic development (well, some may prioritize the military) at the expense of Taiwan’s already bruised environment and national health. The government should face up to the globalization era’s non-conventional safety issues involving ecology, health and food. This is the lesson we must urgently learn.
Chou Kuei-tien is a professor in the Graduate Institute of National Development at Taiwan University.
TRANSLATED BY TED YANG
RSS