Pig farmers on Saturday called for strict implementation of rules on the amount of ractopamine residue allowed in imported US pork products, as well as inspection and labeling.
The call came just hours after Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) announced maximum residue limits (MRLs) for US pork containing ractopamine that would take effect on Jan. 1 next year: 0.04 parts per million (ppm) for liver and kidneys, and 0.01ppm for all other parts of the animal.
The government needs to stick to the standards it has set and carry out complementary measures as promised, including inspections of the labeling of the origin of pork and pork products, Yunlin County Pig Farmers’ Association director Hsu Yu-tsung (許裕聰) said.
Photo: Lin Yi-chang, Taipei Times
Pork importers, distributors and retailers should ensure that labels make clear the point of origin of the products, he said.
Farmers would take to the streets if their voices are not heeded, Hsu added.
Tseng Sheng-cheng (曾勝誠), who represents pig farmers in Tainan, said the government could introduce third-party inspections and make them at least as frequent as those applied to domestically produced pork.
Wang Chung-li (王忠禮), who represents Kaohsiung pig farmers, said that he hoped the government could adopt even stricter limits on pork organs containing the leanness-enhancing drug, adding that pig farmers’ associations nationwide would hold a meeting on Wednesday next week to come up with more suggestions for the government.
Hotel and restaurant operators said they would work with the government to make it clear on their menus the sources of their pork, but customer response would determine whether they would use US pork imports.
While US pork is cheaper, its quality is lower than that of domestic pork, which could lead to a loss of customers, they said.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) called for more details on the import plan, including when and how inspections of imported pork are to be conducted, but the key is how the central government implements its regulations.
Cheng on Saturday said Taiwan would adopt stricter standards on pig kidneys than those set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the joint UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the WHO commission that sets internationally recognized standards and codes of practice for food production and safety, but would follow its guidelines on other pork parts.
The commission’s guideline for pig kidneys is 90ppb of ractopamine.
At present, Taiwan only allows imports of US pork and pork products if they are free of any trace of ractopamine.
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