Reacting to EU bans on Taiwanese seafood, five businesses were directed to suspend operations and 50 tonnes of local produce were targeted for inspection yesterday by the Fisheries Administration.
The action followed the Department of Health announcement on Wednesday that the EU had rejected 30 tonnes of Taiwanese fish and shrimp between August and this month. EU officials found the seafood had been contaminated with chloramphenicol, a carcinogen, and the toxic chemical nitrofuran.
Fish prices at local markets yesterday suffered, falling around 70 percent. But health authorities yesterday said that consumers should remain calm about exposure to the tainted produce, as a portion of the 30 tonnes rejected by the EU had been destroyed in Europe, while the rest had yet to appear in local markets.
After investigating the source of the contaminated seafood, health authorities said most of the produce came from suppliers in southern Taiwan.
All products to be exported to Europe in the near future would have to be strictly examined, said Fisheries Administration official Hu Sing-hwa (
To protect overseas markets, Hu said, the problem of seafood products being smuggled from China should be addressed more aggressively.
But according to health officials, Kaohsiung City suppliers implicated in the EU rejection obtained their produce from Tai-wanese deep-sea fishing vessels and fish markets in Singapore.
Hu said results of tests on seasoned eels and fish would be available within three days.
"We will in particular inspect the suppliers -- two fish farms in Tainan and Pingtung counties -- to learn more details about feed, medicines, and water quality," Hu said at a press conference.
Illegal use of additives or antibiotics can result in fines between NT$3,000 and NT$10,000.
In July and August, only one out of 145 products examined was found to be contaminated by proscribed antibiotics, Hu said.
There are around 30,000 fish farms in Taiwan, and random inspections of farms are carried out every two months.
Hu said NT$50 million would be spent on increasing the frequency and improving the accuracy of tests for chemicals.
There are only nine professional chemical laboratories capable of analyzing antibiotic residue in seafood.
Hu said the EU rejection might lead to a financial loss in the fishery sector this year. Taiwan produces about 350,000 tonnes of seafood a year worth NT$30 billion. About one-third of this is exported.
Huang Yeong-shin (黃永信), managing director of the Taipei Fish Market, said that the government should identify the culprits as soon as possible to not only pacify consumers but also minimize the negative impacts on the sector.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS