By Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTER
The legislature is girding for a fight tomorrow as lawmakers remain divided on amending the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法) to ban “risky” US beef products despite a looming deadline to push through legislation.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Wang Sing-nan (王幸男) told reporters yesterday the caucus might paralyze tomorrow’s plenary session if no agreement is reached on the wording of relevant proposals by tomorrow.
The DPP caucus has objected to a proposed amendment submitted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) last Tuesday to authorize the government to “draw up measures to inspect beef products from areas where the risk of mad cow disease has been under control.”
The caucus has also expressed concern that the KMT’s proposal doesn’t mention “banning” US beef. It has accused the KMT of trying to violate a legislative consensus to prohibit the import of risky US beef products.
The government lifted a ban on US bone-in beef, as well as offal and ground beef from cattle younger than 30 months, on Nov. 2.
Legislators reached a consensus on Nov. 6 that the legislature should amend the law to ban potentially dangerous bovine intestines, ground beef, spinal cords, brains, skulls and eyes from being imported. They agreed to complete the amendment by tomorrow.
KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) said the KMT would not forcibly push through its proposal tomorrow if lawmakers failed to reach a consensus.
KMT caucus secretary-general Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) said the legislature’s move was meant to safeguard public health.
If the DPP boycotts the plenary session, it would prove that the party doesn’t care about the public’s health, Lu said.
Meanwhile, in response to a march on Saturday by thousands of people demanding the government reopen negotiations on beef imports with the US, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday the government has heard the criticism.
The Presidential Office and Executive Yuan would continue to negotiate with the legislature on proposed revisions to the food safety laws, Wang said.
“We will amend the law in a way that will protect public health and not violate our international obligation,” Wang said.
The amendments must not tamper with the spirit of the WTO and World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KO SHU-LING
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