The People First Party’s (PFP) legislative caucus yesterday said the nation’s food safety would fall apart if the incoming administration allows imports of pork containing ractopamine residue.
Party lawmakers also said a proposal to allow imports, but maintain the ban on domestic use of the leanness-enhancing additive, would be deceptive.
PFP caucus convener Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said that remarks last month by Council of Agriculture minister-designate Tsao Chi-hung (曹啟鴻) about being unable to avoid imports of US pork containing the additive were inappropriate, as they were “showing your cards before negotiations began” to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
Tsao said that there would be nothing he could do to stop imports of US pork containing ractopamine because Taiwan is a small economy that does not have the leverage to refuse such imports in a globalized world.
The WHO’s Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2012 adopted maximum residue levels of ractopamine in animal tissue, but the decision was reached via a vote won by a fragile majority — 69 votes for and 67 against — and it was wrong for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration to ease the ban on imports of US beef containing ractopamine residue, Lee said.
“How many countries represented by the 69 votes that approved meat with ractopamine residue have similar dietary habits as Taiwan,” Lee said.
“The EU and China do not allow ractopamine residue in meat,” he said.
The nation’s self-sufficiency rate in pork has reached more than 90 percent, which means that imported pork is likely to end up in school lunches, restaurants and processed meat products, Lee said.
PFP Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) said the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized the Ma administration for being “incompetent” when it lifted the ban on US beef imports, so the incoming DPP administration would be “even more incompetent” if it allows such pork imports, because Taiwanese eat more pork than beef.
He questioned whether Taiwanese farmers would be allowed to use ractopamine if pork products with residue of the drug are allowed to be imported, adding that the policies for beef and pork must be separate to protect Taiwanese pig farmers and the public health.
PFP Legislator Chou Chen Hsiu-hsia (周陳秀霞) said allowing imports of pork with ractopamine residue, but prohibiting domestic use of the additive would be deceptive and unfair to farmers.
The DPP administration must not use the public’s health as a bargaining chip for international trade negotiations, Chou said.
Polls show that more than 70 percent of the public are against imports of pork containing ractopamine residue, so the DPP should not sacrifice the nation’s food safety for trade negotiations start, the lawmaker said.
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
RSS