The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus called on the government to reverse its decision to allow imports of US pork containing a certain level of ractopamine residue, saying that public health and the interests of farmers are not to be bargained with.
The government’s announcement was abrupt and came with no prior communication with local governments, lawmakers or pig farmers, KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday.
Even Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers had not been informed of the decision until noon yesterday, which reveals the administration’s opaque decisionmaking process, Lin said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Given that Taiwanese consume six times as much pork as beef, the KMT has and would always advocate separating the maximum residue limits for beef and pork, she said, adding that the caucus strongly protests the administration’s arbitrary decision, trading public health for other national interests.
The DPP must swiftly submit its proposed maximum ractopamine residue limit on US pork to the Legislative Yuan for review, Lin said, adding that the caucus would demand that the nation’s limit be lower than 10 parts per billion as defined by the UN food-safety Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Lin quoted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as saying that the decision would not have a huge impact on the nation’s pig farming industry, adding that Tsai’s claim is unsubstantiated, as 4.99 million pigs in the nation are raised for meat.
The Executive Yuan has not laid out any plans to help them cope once the US pork import ban is lifted, Lin said.
Tsai said she is “optimistic” that the nation could sign bilateral trade agreement with the US, without informing people about the actual likelihood of inking such an agreement, Lin said.
Tsai has made Taiwan a vassal state of the US, Lin said, adding that Tsai should report to the legislature on how the decision was made.
When the DPP was the opposition party, it vigorously opposed the importation of US pork containing ractopamine, but it has made a U-turn now that it is in power, said KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who is also a legislator.
The DPP used to be the biggest fan of impact assessment reports, but now, a report is nowhere to be seen, Chiang said, adding that evading legislative oversight revealed the government’s autocratic nature.
The Tsai administration has touted its ties with the US as being at their “all-time best,” but yesterday’s announcement suggested that it comes at the cost of considerable backroom dealing, KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) said.
Prior to making her announcement at the Presidential Office, Tsai at noon invited all DPP lawmakers to a lunch meeting where she informed them of the decision.
Some legislators expressed concern over the policy, but said that they understood that its pros would outweigh its cons.
“The government has decided to lift the ban, so what is the use of us opposing?” said a DPP lawmaker, who asked not to be identified.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
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