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TSU legislator voices concerns over US beef safety

Consumer protection groups in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the US should form an alliance to more effectively monitor the safety of US beef, an opposition lawmaker said.

Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) of the Taiwan Solidarity Union made the remarks over the weekend upon her recent return from a weeklong visit to the US to inspect its beef safety control system.

Lai was among seven lawmakers from across the political spectrum who made the inspection tour organized by the Department of Health.

As expected, Lai said, US officials again assured them of the safety of US beef.

Nevertheless, Lai said she remains skeptical of the efficacy of US beef quality control, as the US authorities failed to respond positively to some critical issues.

no answer

For one thing, Lai said, the US Department of Agriculture (DOA) did not reply to her question of when a cattle provenance or "passport" system would be launched to document each cow's parentage and place of origin.

Nor did DOA officials tell the lawmakers how problems would be dealt with regarding which high-risk cattle should be subject to thorough examination before slaughter, Lai said.

Worse still, Lai continued, the US government decided on July 20 to slash the number of cattle deemed to be high-risk to 40,000 from the original 350,000.

Quoting the results of surveys conducted by US consumer groups such as the Consumers Union, Lai said that the high-risk cattle sampling process is flawed because cattle selected for tests might not necessarily be high-risk animals.

alliance

Worried about the possibility of new outbreaks of mad cow disease in the US because of what the union claims are "lax" inspection and supervisory operations, Lai said the Consumers Union intends to form an alliance with its counterparts in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, all of which are major US beef importing countries, to exert stronger influence on the US beef safety control system and ensure beef quality.

Lai said she wholeheartedly supports such a proposal and has already begun making contact with local as well as Japanese and South Korean consumer groups to support the cause.

Taiwan has twice banned US beef imports due to concerns over mad cow disease, but imports of boneless beef from cattle under 30 months old were resumed early this year after the US government gave reassurances of the safety of its beef products.
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