The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday said that the US has taken full measures to ensure that its cattle are safe for consumption, urging Taiwan to resume imports as soon as possible.
Taiwan first banned imports of US beef, live cattle and all related products in December 2003 after the discovery in Washington State of a single case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the first US case of what is more commonly known as mad-cow disease.
In April, Taiwan decided to resume imports of US beef, after completing a risk-assessment based on scientific evidence. However, US beef imports were once again terminated in June, following a rumor of a second case of BSE in the US.
According to Scott Sindelar, the Chief of the Agricultural Affairs Section at the AIT, a report was submitted by the US department of Agriculture in September, to the DOH, to explain the circumstances surrounding the "second" BSE case, fulfilling DOH requirements for consideration of reopening beef imports in Taiwan.
"It has been 3 months since the submission of the report and we anticipate and look forward to a decision soon. Consumers are waiting for it [beef imports]. Businesses are waiting for it [beef imports]," he said.
Asked about what her thoughts were regarding US beef imports a consumer surnamed Lin said, "Good steak restaurants don't serve local beef; but if I'm paying the price, I would want good imported beef."
Sindelar said that what was key now was whether measures are in place to protect human health, emphasizing that the US had already fulfilled requirements provided by the World Animal Health Organisation to ensure that cattle is safe for consumption, which is boneless beef from cattle below 30 months of age with Specific Risk Materials (SRM) removed.
Hsiao Tung-ming (
Asked about the evaluations, Hsiao said, "Initial conclusions are that the risk of [getting] BSE from consuming US beef is very, very low, meaning that there shouldn't be any problems with meeting the standards required for consumption."
Hsiao, however, said that presently, the DOH is not at the stage of deciding whether US beef should be imported or not, but is still at the stage of risk assessment. The department is preparing for a dialogue with the public regarding BSE and the risks involved in eating US beef.
According to the state-funded Central News Agency, Deputy Director of the DOH Wang Hsiu-hong (
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