The Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday urged the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to remove a video it posted on Facebook on Tuesday, saying that it might be spreading false information by claiming that pigs given ractopamine experience physical and emotional pain.
The KMT is using the video, which shows pigs shivering and in apparent pain, as part of its attacks on the government’s decision to lift an import ban on pork containing the leanness-enhancing drug, COA Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said ahead of a budget review at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The video was made by the US-based Animal Outlook group and released by the organization to protest inhumane killings of hogs at slaughterhouses, Chen said, adding that ractopamine was not mentioned in the original video.
Photo: Screen grab from Facebook
The KMT added Chinese narration that is inconsistent with the images, making the video “100 percent falsified and 100 percent inaccurate,” he said.
The KMT’s video said that “it is a slaughterhouse of pigs fed with the leanness-enhancing drug,” “ractopamine incites mood swings in pigs” and “pigs fed with the additive would get sick, let alone humans.”
The video allegedly constitutes spreading misinformation and generating a sense of public fear as the KMT attempts to mislead people by linking the drug to hog abuse, Chen said.
Photo: CNA
If the KMT does not remove the video, the council would file a lawsuit under the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), Chen said, urging people not to repost or share it.
KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said that the party would not remove the video, as the information in it has been verified.
Not only has the government refused to address the health concerns surrounding pork containing traces of ractopamine, it is also seeking to deny freedom of speech, Chiang said.
A government that damages people’s health is in no position to punish a group defending health for others, he said.
INCREASED RISK: The Omicron BA.2.75 subvariant has higher immune evasive capacity, but the CECC is more concerned about newer subvariants such as XBB and BQ.1 With the peak season for infectious respiratory diseases coming to an end, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said that details of the next phase of lifting COVID-19 masking rules — removing the mask requirement in most indoor settings — are to be announced this week. Discussions on lifting other COVID-19 restrictions are also being held, including further easing border control measures, home isolation requirements and revising the definition for reporting cases, while also downgrading COVID-19 to a lower category of notifiable communicable disease, said Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝), who heads the CECC. As the daily
GUT FEELING: In the leaked memo, US Air Force General Mike Minihan urged mobile command personnel to go to a firing range, shoot at a target and ‘aim for the head’ A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 — most likely over Taiwan — and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, Air Mobility Command Commander General Mike Minihan said that the main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China. “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said. Minihan said that Taiwan’s presidential election
PEACE AND STABILITY: The two nations called for the peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues through dialogue without the threat or use of force or coercion The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked France and Australia for voicing their support for Taiwan, saying that peace across the Taiwan Strait is crucial to the stability and prosperity of international society. France and Australia on Monday pledged to deepen ties with Taiwan and reiterated their support for its participation in international organizations at this year’s Foreign and Defense Ministerial Consultations in Paris. The meeting between French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna, French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong (黃英賢) and Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles was the second
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM: Czech president-elect Petr Pavel said his nation stands firmly on the side of democracy and would boost cooperation with Taipei in all aspects Czech president-elect Petr Pavel spoke by telephone with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, a highly unusual move given the lack of formal ties and a diplomatic coup for Taipei. Tsai spoke with Pavel for 15 minutes in a harmonious atmosphere, Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said, adding that Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) was also present during the conversation. Lin quoted Pavel as telling Tsai that Taiwan is a trustworthy partner, adding that the Czech Republic stands firmly on the side of democracy and supports Taiwan in maintaining a lively democratic system free from authoritarian coercion. The Czech Republic would