The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday promised to conduct vigorous inspections of US bone-in beef after the first batch of six packages of US beef arrived in Taiwan after a five-year hiatus.
The first batch arrived on EVA Air flight BR-025, which left Seattle and arrived in Taiwan yesterday morning.
Food and Drug Administration Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲) attended the first inspection as the 163.7kg of US T-bone steaks and ribs were being examined by officials from the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine and customs agents.
“We carried out strict tests on this batch in accordance with the law so it may take some time for the results to come out,” Kang said.
Kang said the first batch of US bone-in beef contained three boxes of T-bone steaks weighing 92.6kg and three boxes of ribs weighing 71.1kg.
They were cut on Jan. 5 and packed on Jan. 7.
After the beef went through an X-ray machine, inspectors checked the paperwork, opened the boxes and took samples for analysis.
Kang said that the results would be available within five days.
Initial results showed that the batch was qualified for import because it had quarantine and export papers attached and did not include six products considered hazardous — ground beef, beef offal and other parts such as skulls, eyes and intestines banned from entering the country in line with an amendment passed by the Legislative Yuan that reversed a protocol signed by Taipei and Washignton last October.
Officials were set to also inspect the beef in each of the six packages to ensure that the products are safe for consumption, Kang said.
Any of the meat found unacceptable would be shipped back to the US or destroyed, he said.
Imports of US bone-in beef have been the center of a dispute for months in the county because of widespread public fears of mad cow disease.
The second batch of about 105kg of US bone-in beef is scheduled to arrive next Friday.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
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