The Council of Agriculture (COA) said it would find the sources of three samples of chemical-tainted goose meat taken from markets in New Taipei City (新北市), Greater Taichung and Greater Tainan and conduct tighter food safety checks in future.
The announcement came following a report unveiled on Tuesday by the Department of Health that showed three out of 70 livestock products checked in August contained residues of florfenicol and thiamphenicol, drugs used to treat respiratory disease.
Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji (陳保基) said use of the drugs is restricted to livestock such as chickens and pork, but completely banned in waterfowl products. However, the amount found in the goose meat samples was only about 3 parts per billion (ppb), far lower than the tolerance level of 100 ppb allowed for livestock products, Chen said, adding that as a result the meat in question should pose no danger to health.
When questioned whether the same regulations should be applied to waterfowl products as to other livestock, the council said it would present a report on the issue after conducting toxicity tests and holding discussions with drug manufacturers in the next month.
Meanwhile, the Livestock Disease Control Center in Chiayi County said the sample found in New Taipei City was from a farm in that county.
The center said the farmer, who has about 1,000 geese, admitted to having treated the birds with florfenicol in mid-June under the supervision of a licensed vet.
The farmer sold the batch of geese 20 days after the end of the treatment, which was in compliance with the standard five-day rule, it said.
The center said it has fined the farm NT$30,000 and demanded that the farm produce test results before selling any more goose meat.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe