May 8, 2012

 

Taiwan's legislature opposes US beef import ban

 

 

Taiwan's legislature voted against a spontaneous motion to discuss US beef imports ban Friday (May 4), amid concerns coming from the recent discovery of a new mad cow disease case in the US.

 

Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition camps voted 50-44 against a proposal to immediately pull US beef  from store shelves and stop all beef imports.

 

This marked the second time that the Legislature voted against putting US beef imports on the agenda, following a confirmed case of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), in California on 24 April.

 

Last week, lawmakers voted 45-44 against a similar motion.

 

Both motions were put forward by opposition party legislators, who number slightly fewer than ruling Kuomintang lawmakers. Of the 113 seats in the Legislature, the KMT [Kuomintang of China] holds 64.

 

"Say no to beef tainted with ractopamine and mad cow disease! Safeguard our citisens' health," shouted opposition lawmakers, after the motion was defeated for the second time.

 

President Ma Ying-jeou's administration had been eager to lift the ban on ractopamine, a leanness enhancing livestock feed additive, since his re-election in January.

 

Local civic groups and some health specialists, however, have argued that ractopamine poses unidentified health risks and have accused the government of compromising the nation's health in the interest of diplomatic gains.

 

Imports of US beef have been a sore point in trade ties between Taipei and Washington for many years.

 

Taiwan first banned US beef imports in 2003 when a case of BSE was reported in the state of Washington. In April 2005, Taiwan re-opened its market to imports of boneless US beef from cattle under 30 months old, but imposed another ban in June 2005 when a second US case of BSE was reported.

 

Imports of certain cuts of US beef have since resumed, but Washington has been pressing for wider opening and more recently, has lobbied strongly for Taiwan to lift its ban on beef containing ractopamine residues.