Japanese beef from cattle of any age may now be imported to Taiwan, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced yesterday.
Previously, imported Japanese beef had to be derived from cattle no more than 30 months old, following an international outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly known as “mad cow disease,” in 2003.
Taiwan at the time banned imports from Japan and other affected countries, including the US and Canada.
Photo: CNA
It resumed imports of beef from cattle of any age from the US in 2021 and Canada in 2023.
Some regulations were relaxed for Japan in 2017, but the 30-month ban remained in place until yesterday.
Up to 90 percent of Taiwan’s beef is imported, with Japanese beef currently accounting for just 1.4 percent, despite Japan not having reported a confirmed case of mad cow disease since 2009, FDA Director-General Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) said.
The FDA released the draft revisions on March 4, opening a 60-day window to gather public opinion.
A thorough investigation was conducted prior to the revisions, with three meetings to consult experts held in 2019, 2020 and 2021, Chiang said.
The FDA also conducted on-site factory investigations in Japan with experts in October 2022, posting the reports and relevant risk assessments on its Web site, he said.
The investigations concluded that only one in every 150 million consumers was at risk of contracting the disease, he added.
The World Organisation for Animal Health has also confirmed that Japan is at negligible risk for mad cow disease, with cattle of all ages being deemed safe and suitable for export, Chiang said.
According to a 2023 report, the top three exporters of beef to Taiwan were the US at 38 percent, Paraguay at 26.6 percent and Australia at 18.6 percent, with Japan coming in at No. 6.
Any beef products from cattle suspected or confirmed to have mad cow disease, or from the same birth cohort as a confirmed case, are prohibited from importation, the FDA said, adding that it would continue to uphold the strictest food safety standards.
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