The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday reiterated its opposition to the easing of a ban on residue of the livestock feed additive ractopamine in meat, despite the vote by a UN-affiliated food safety organization in favor of allowing certain levels of it.
On Thursday last week the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome, Italy, narrowly voted in favor of maximum residue levels (MRLs) of the additive.
“The dietary habits of Taiwanese are different from those of other countries. We agree that the Codex standard could serve as a reference for the amendment in Taiwan, but we are not required to proceed with the dispute in accordance with the Codex decision,” TSU caucus whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) told a press conference.
“The TSU insists on zero-tolerance of ractopamine,” Hsu said.
Consumption of offal by Taiwanese would increase health concerns related to ractopamine, he added.
More discussion with academics is needed before the Legislative Yuan convenes for an extra session on July 24, he said.
Citing a press release issued by US-based National Health Federation, which stated that the voting “was forced upon the Commission by the insistence of the US, Costa Rica and Brazil,” TSU Legislator Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) said that Taiwan should not lower its health and food safety standards to accommodate countries with lower standards.
The 69-67 voting results in the Codex meeting showed that almost half of the member countries opposed the adoption, Lin said.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) headquarters said on Thursday night that the party has always advocated the adoption of international standards.
However, several DPP lawmakers took the same position as the TSU, saying that stricter measures should be implemented to safeguard public health.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said yesterday the DPP caucus planned to talk to academics, civic groups and opposition leaders before the extra legislative session about stricter measures on ractopamine, despite the international standard.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
RSS