Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday suggested placing the US beef issue on top of the agenda for the legislature’s planned extra session, following the Codex Alimentarius Commission decision to allow certain levels of the livestock feed additive ractopamine in beef and pork.
However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) urged the KMT government to maintain the ban on ractopamine residue in pork imports even if it decides to allow residues of the drug in imported beef products.
The commission voted 69-67 in Rome on Thursday that it was safe to allow certain levels of ractopamine in cattle and pork tissue, including muscle, livers and kidneys.
Photo: Taipei Times
Before the commission’s decision, civic groups and opposition lawmakers were strongly opposed to easing Taiwan’s ban on imports of beef containing ractopamine residue. However, since the commission’s vote, a softening of that stance with regard to beef has become apparent.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) told a press conference yesterday that in their hearts, DPP lawmakers still support a zero-tolerance policy on ractopamine, but faced with international reality, they would have to revise their stance.
“If the party cannot protect the public’s health 100 percent, at least we should protect it 90 percent,” she said.
DPP Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said a law should be passed to allow for separate permits for the import of beef and pork — a proposal that was put forward by the government earlier.
Chen also asked the Department of Health to promise that if any member of the public later suffered a health issue as a result of consuming US beef containing ractopamine residue, the department would demand compensation from the US on behalf of the victim or victims.
Meanwhile, People First Party caucus whip Thomas Lee (李桐豪) said that Taiwan must forsake its zero-tolerance policy on ractopamine since the commission has now set standards.
However, his party demanded the government conduct health risk assessment of Taiwanese before it follows the Codex Alimentarius standards, he said.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) suggested placing the US beef issue on top of the agenda in the extra session, ahead of issues relating to a capital gains tax on securities transactions and a confirmation vote on four National Communication Commission (NCC) nominees, which are both controversial.
KMT Legislator Yang Li-huan (楊麗環), on the other hand, insisted that the Executive Yuan go ahead and ease the ban on ractopamine residue in beef imports via an executive order, because it is already within its mandate.
After the Codex Alimentarius Commission’s vote to allow certain levels of ractopamine in meat, Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) called a meeting of the Cabinet, which issued a seven-point statement.
Chen said the government would set allowable levels of ractopamine residue in imported beef by using Codex standards as a reference, while also taking into account local dietary habits, adding that the policy on ractopamine would address the needs of the nation.
The government will adhere to its “four principles” in replacing the zero-tolerance rule on ractopamine: Determine the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for ractopamine in beef imports, differentiate between the safety standards for beef and pork products, require mandatory labeling of beef products and to maintain the ban on imports of beef offal from the US, Chen said.
Under the “four principles,” the government proposed relaxing the ban on ractopamine residue only in beef in recognition of local dietary habits and the potential impact of pork imports with ractopamine residue on the local hog industry, the premier said.
The government will follow the principle of mandatory labeling of beef containing ractopamine residue to ensure that food retailers give consumers the right information about whether ractopamine residue is in their products, he added.
Chen said the government would continue to strictly inspect imported beef lot-by-lot and to step up random testing of imported beef on store shelves, while the National Health Research Institution will monitor possible impact on human health caused by consumption of beef containing ractopamine residue.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has pushed for lifting the import ban in hopes that the lingering issue that hindered the resumption of talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement could be resolved soon.
The proposal has met stiff opposition in some quarters.
On May 7, the Legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee dealt a blow to the government when it adopted an amendment proposed by the DPP that called for maintaining the zero tolerance policy.
Earlier last month, the opposition lawmakers also staged a five-day legislative boycott to stymie a vote on a law amendment aimed at allowing controlled levels of the drug in US beef imports. The legislature is slated to hold a provisional session from July 25 to July 27.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang and CNA
Japan has deployed long-range missiles in a southwestern region near China, the Japanese defense minister said yesterday, at a time when ties with Beijing are at their lowest in recent years. The missiles were installed in Kumamoto in the southern region of Kyushu, as Japan is attempting to shore up its military capacity as China steps up naval activity in the East China Sea. “Standoff defense capabilities enable us to counter the threat of enemy forces attempting to invade our country ... while ensuring the safety of our personnel,” Japanese Minister of Defense Shinjiro Koizumi said. “This is an extremely important initiative for
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to lead a delegation to China next month, saying she hopes to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations and bring stability to the Taiwan Strait. “I am grateful and happy to accept this invitation,” Cheng said in a statement from the KMT chairperson’s office. Cheng said she hopes both sides can work together to promote the peaceful development of cross-strait relations, enhance exchange and cooperation, bring stability to the Taiwan Strait and improve people’s livelihoods. At today's news conference, Cheng said any efforts to
MORE POPULAR: Taiwan Pass sales increased by 59 percent during the first quarter compared with the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said The Tourism Administration yesterday said that it has streamlined the Taiwan Pass, with two versions available for purchase beginning today. The tourism agency has made the pass available to international tourists since 2024, allowing them to access the high-speed rail, Taiwan Railway Corp services, four MRT systems and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttles. Previously, five types of Taiwan Pass were available, but some tourists have said that the offerings were too complicated. The agency said only two types of Taiwan Pass would be available, starting from a three-day pass with the high-speed rail and a three-day pass with Taiwan Railway Corp. The former costs NT$2,800
The nation’s fastest supercomputer, Nano 4 (晶創26), is scheduled to be launched in the third quarter, and would be used to train large language models in finance and national defense sectors, the National Center for High-Performance Computing (NCHC) said. The supercomputer, which would operate at about 86.05 petaflops, is being tested at a new cloud computing center in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan. The exterior of the server cabinet features chip circuitry patterns overlaid with a map of Taiwan, highlighting the nation’s central position in the semiconductor industry. The center also houses Taiwania 2, Taiwania 3, Forerunner 1 and
RSS