The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday approved the registration of a new cattle breed named “Yuansing” (源興), the first cattle species developed by a private entity to be approved by the government.
The registration could be considered a last gift to the nation by late president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), an agricultural specialist who promoted policies to improve the nation’s cattle industry.
In 2016, the Lee Teng-hui Foundation purchased 19 heads of cattle — eight bulls and 11 cows — which had been put out to pasture on the Qingtiangang (擎天崗) grassland of Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
They were found to be descendants of draft cattle imported by the Japanese colonial government.
The cattle were not crossbred with other imported cattle, so they are genetically different from other breeds in the nation. They were moved to Shin Kong Chao Feng Ranch and Resort (新光兆豐農場) in Hualien County’s Fonglin Township (鳳林).
Lee had visited the cattle several times in his lifetime and named them Yuansing, after his old family house Yuansing (源興居) in New Taipei City’s Sanjhih District (三芝).
Photo: Taipei Times file
GGP Biotechnology Co Ltd (源興居生技) was established to breed the cattle and promote it in the beef market.
In June 2020, the Lee Teng-hui Foundation applied to the then-Council of Agriculture to register the Yuansing cattle as a new livestock breed.
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday announced that it had been approved, and would be officially registered if it received no objections in three months.
Taiwan Livestock Research Institute Deputy Director-General Cheng Mei-ping (程梅萍) said that most cattle in Taiwan are hybrids between imported breeds, such as American Angus and American Brahman, and local breeds, such as Taiwanese yellow cattle and Taiwanese water buffalo.
An analysis of the Yuansing cattle shows that they are genetically closer to wagyu and other Japanese cattle breeds than imported cattle from Western countries, such as the American Angus, he said.
However, principal component analysis shows that they are an independent breed, as there are significant differences between Yuansing cattle and wagyu, he said.
Department of Animal Industry acting director Chiang Wen-chuan (江文全) said breed registration is like a pedigree certificate.
According to the Animal Industry Act (畜牧法), once a new breed has been approved, cattle breeding farms can begin commercial breeding of the cattle, he said.
The farms can also apply for pedigree registration of the reproduced cattle, allowing genetic traceability of livestock products, to give consumers access to the beef quality, texture and other features, which would be beneficial to promoting domestic beef, he said.
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
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
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