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
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS