Taiwan likely to allow US bone-in beef soon

Taiwan is expected to reopen its doors soon to imports of US bone-in beef, shredded beef, offal and other beef products, after Vice Premier Eric Chu made a public promise that consumers' health will be safeguarded.

This indicates that Taiwan is close to relaxing restrictions against imports of controversial beef products from the US, which reported its first BSE case in 2003. The discovery of the infection prompted major Asian trade partners of the US, including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan to reject all its beef products.

Taiwan partially lifted the ban in April 2005 to allow imports of de-boned beef from cattle under 30 months old, but it re-imposed the ban two months later when a second BSE case was discovered in the US.

Over the past year, the US has continuously tried to persuade Taiwan to open its doors more widely to its beef products.

Chu said the scale of Taiwan's relaxation of restrictions against US beef imports will not be larger than those of South Korea. He warned that bilateral economic and trade relations between Taiwan and the US could be harmed if the restrictions are too tight.

The government will demand that retailers sell US beef in special sections to allow consumers to decide whether to purchase it or not, he added.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Yaung Chih-liang said imports will be restricted to bone-in and boneless beef without SRMs and from cattle aged under 30 months.