The debate over whether live cattle should be imported from the outlying island of Kinmen is heating up, with one side raising the specter of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the other saying that fears are being raised by cattle farmers who fear the competition.
No representatives from Kinmen were invited to a press conference held by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (
Instead, Taiwanese cattle farmers and animal rights activists protested the proposed move to import 100 live cattle from Kinmen as a test case.
Imports of cattle, pigs and goats were banned after an outbreak of the highly contagious and sometime deadly (for livestock) FMD outbreak in Kinmen in 1999.
The restrictions were relaxed in 2005 to allow animal parts to be exported to Taiwan, but the ban remains for live animals.
Animal rights activists from the Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) protested the stress put on the animal during the transit and quarantine process.
The pilot scheme was awaiting the final stamp of approval from the Council of Agriculture (COA), having already cleared the COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) requirements.
"Kinmen cattle are now safe," said Huang Kuo-ching (
But cattle farmers are fearful that the island's proximity to China will make it an entry point from which contraband cattle from China could enter, potentially allowing a devastating spread of foot and mouth disease.
"Where did the last bout of FMD come from?" asked cattle farmer Huang Mu-tu (黃木土). "From Chinese cattle imported through Kinmen."
"Contraband cattle are only a sanpan ride away," Tien said. "The motivation for profit is too strong. Smugglers will find a way."
Li Tseng-tsai (
"We have cheap and plentiful feed in the form of grain mash left over from our distillery industry and abundant land for grazing cattle. As long as we can export it, our cattle industry has enormous room for growth," he said, adding that he hopes the number of cattle in Kinmen will rise from 3,000 heads and less than 600 animals slaughtered annually to 20,000 heads with 10,000 slaughtered.
"It would be altogether impossible for contraband cattle to find their way to Kinmen," Hu Hsi-tsai (胡錫載), the head of the the Kinmen Animal and Plant Diseased Control Center told the Taipei Times.
"Calves are registered within a week of birth and eartagged and photographed within a month of birth. They are cold-branded with liquid nitrogen," Hu said.
Following that process, "each sale has to be reported and documented. All cattle are tested for FMD and quarantined prior to slaughter," Hu added.
The legislator for Kinmen, the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) Wu Cherng-dean (
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost