The government cannot legally require pork importers to mark pork products that contain ractopamine residue with particular labels, or Taiwan might face trade retaliations from other countries, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday.
Su’s remarks came in response to calls by New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and other mayors to require that pork products which contain traces of the feed additive be labeled.
A ban on imports of pork products from the US, where the feed additive is allowed, is set to be lifted on Jan. 1.
Su said that a total of 101 countries allow imports of pork containing traces of ractopamine without label requirements.
If the government were to legally require labels on particular pork products to inform Taiwanese customers, these 101 countries might impose retaliatory measures on the the nation, Su said.
Su on Friday said that soon after he assumed office in January last year, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) approached him about the issue of US pork imports.
The Presidential Office as of yesterday did not comment on the remark.
Reacting to media queries saying that details about the policy remain confusing, despite more than a year of deliberation, Su said that the government was pursuing a step-by-step approach.
Following Tsai’s announcement on Aug. 28 that the import ban would be lifted, several government agencies have been working out the details, he said.
The government aims to boost the nation’s international standing and promote domestic products overseas, Su said, adding that lifting import barriers was a necessary part of that approach.
However, this requires concerted efforts by the central and local governments, and the legislature, Su said.
Food safety for Taiwanese remains a priority, he added.
Local pork importers earlier this month said that they are not planning to import pork that might contain ractopamine residues, Su said.
The government welcomes importers’ plans to mark products that do not contain ractopamine residue, Su said, adding that businesses were free to choose measures to ensure the competitiveness of their products.
Despite the importers’ initiative, the government would stick to the five regulatory measures announced by the Legislative Yuan, Su said.
According to the Executive Yuan, the measures entail inspections of pork factories in the US before greenlighting their products; requirements for country-of-origin labels; customs inspections of all batches of pork imports; requirements for tracking codes on products; and ensuring that only domestic pork is served to students at schools throughout the nation.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang
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