Following an uproar over the government’s decision to relax restrictions on imports of US beef, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director William Stanton yesterday urged Taiwanese to look at scientific facts on US beef rather than paying attention to “rumors and myth.”
“The World Organization of Animal Health has deemed US beef safe to eat. There are no cases ever that anyone has gotten the Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease [the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, known as BSE or mad cow disease] from eating US beef. No cases ever, and that’s a population of 304 million Americans and over 94 million cattle,” Stanton said on his way to deliver a speech at National Chengchi University.
There has been an uproar since the Department of Health announced last Friday that Taiwan would lift a partial ban on US beef imports that was imposed after cases of BSE were recorded there.
Under the terms of the new accord, US bone-in beef, ground beef, intestines, brains, spinal cords and processed beef from cattle younger than 30 months that have not been contaminated with “specific risk materials” will be allowed to enter Taiwan starting on Nov. 10.
At present, Taiwan allows imports of US boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months that do not contain “specific risk materials.”
Stanton said yesterday that 1,034 people out of 23 million Taiwanese lost their lives in scooter accidents last year.
“So when you look at the risk, statistically, [in contrast to] no cases of mad cow disease [reported in the US], well, one might conclude that one should stop driving motor scooters because of the risk [of the accidents],” he said.
Stanton declined to comment on Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin’s (郝龍斌) campaign to boycott ground beef, intestines and spinal cords from the US, saying that the US would never export unsafe products.
“We are not going to export any risky beef. US beef is safe. The whole cow is safe,” he said.
Stanton said there was no relation between eating a cow’s internal organs and acquiring the disease.
“I understand people’s concerns, but I’d ask people not to listen to rumors and myth, but to look at the facts, the scientific facts,” he said.
Stanton also dismissed media speculation that Taiwan had not been on equal footing during the negotiations. He said the US regarded Taiwan as an equal partner during the lengthy discussions over the past couple of years and that both sides had been very straightforward during the talks.
“We reached the agreement fairly and freely. It was what was perceived to be in everyone’s best interests,” he said.
The US is a strong supporter of free and open trade and Washington believes it is the right thing for Taiwan to open up the Taiwanese market to US beef, he said. In response to calls for renegotiation, Stanton said the possibility had not been discussed.
“We think we reached a good deal. We think what needs to happen is the people of Taiwan need to learn the facts about US beef,” Stanton said.
At the legislature, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-dominated Procedure Committee blocked a proposal by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to demand the government renegotiate beef imports with Washington.
The committee also blocked a DPP proposal that would oblige the government to seek the legislature’s consent before the beef import agreement could take effect.
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