The government should not toy with public health to curry favor with the US, the Consumers' Foundation said yesterday, criticizing the Department of Health (DOH) for removing the ban on the use of Endosulfan, a pesticide found in imports of US apples and other agricultural products.
The DOH said on March 29 it was lifting the ban on the chemical and would allow a residue of up to 0.5ppm on US imported apples.
Hsieh Ting-hung (謝定宏), deputy director of the DOH's Bureau of Food Safety, has said that the new standard was set after reviewing joint standards established by the WHO and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, as well as US and European norms, as part of an overall effort to evaluate standards for residues of various pesticides in different agricultural products.
However, the new standard for apples has sparked criticism from consumer rights advocates.
Advocates said the chemical, listed as a category 11, or “moderately hazardous,” by the WHO, has been proven to be harmful to humans, possibly causing liver damage and other complications such as convulsions, nausea, difficulty breathing and, in some cases, death.
“The government kept saying it did not consult the US when it lifted the ban. Of course, there was no need for the US to negotiate with Taiwan, because Taiwan did it all on its own to win favors from the US,” foundation president Hsieh Tien-jen (謝天仁) said.
“While the government gained political points, Taiwanese farmers and the public suffer,” he said.
Removing the ban would further boost US apple sales and indirectly hurt Taiwanese apple farmers who are prohibited from using the pesticide, he said.
“The public has never authorized the government to purchase toxic groceries for the people, but that's exactly what is happening,” foundation secretary-general Gaston Wu (吳家誠) said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS