The government would move to lift a ban on a feed additive that has driven a wedge between Taiwan and the US only after the international community sets a permissible level of the drug in meat, the Department of Health (DOH) said.
“To Taiwan, this is a problem involving economic, medical, agricultural and technical issues, and the DOH will not relax existing restrictions on the drug’s use before an internationally recognized level is set and before a consensus is reached among related government agencies,” Deputy Health Minister Hsiao Mei-ling (蕭美玲) said after a group of US lawmakers pressed Taiwan in a letter to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Thursday to remove the ban to prevent further damage to bilateral trade ties.
BANNED
Hsiao reiterated that the use of ractopamine was fully banned by the Council of Agriculture (COA) and the DOH was therefore obligated not to allow any meat products sold locally to contain any traces of the substance.
“The DOH will set a minimum allowable ractopamine residue level for meat products if the COA decides to lift the ban on the drug, which depends on the result of an upcoming international meeting,” she said.
Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲), director general of the COA’s Food and Drug Administration, said the Codex Alimentarius Commission was slated to call a conference in July, at which it might announce an internationally recognized level for ractopamine residue.
Some US beef products were taken off local supermarket shelves last month after they were found to contain trace amounts of ractopamine — a drug promoting leanness in meat — which prompted the US to postpone a trade meeting with Taiwan.
“The scientific evidence is clear that US beef is safe and that there is no food-safety justification for these actions,” AFP reported, quoting the letter made public by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus. “We urge you to take prompt corrective measures to restore and avoid further damage to our bilateral trade relations.”
Taiwan’s Swine Association, however, voiced its objection to the idea of lifting the ban on the animal drug, citing the eating habits of local residents.
“Taiwanese people consume a lot of internal organs and ribs, which contain much higher ractopamine levels than in the actual meat. Therefore, we are totally against a removal of the ban,” association head Pan Lien-chou (潘連周) said.
‘WHY SHOULD WE?’
Local pig farmers are banned from using the drug, so the same regulation should be applied to foreign meat products to safeguard the health of Taiwan’s people, Pan said.
“Locally produced pork is of higher quality because it cannot contain any ractopamine residue. Why do we have to lower our standards?” he asked. “China and the European Union also ban the use of the drug.”
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
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