November 22, 2006

Outcry over Taiwan's decision to lift ban on US beef

Taiwan's decision to lift a ban on imports of US beef early this year was appropriate according to the guidelines of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Office of Epizootics (IOE), a health official said.

The remarks were made after an ad hoc committee of the Legislative Yuan recommended the Executive Yuan to reverse its decision, claiming it was made arbitrarily under pressure from Washington.

The decision brought Taiwan into line with more than 100 countries around the world that import US beef said Chen Shu-kung, director-general of the Bureau of Food Sanitation under the Department of Health (DOH). The safety of US beef could be examined by scientific methods and Taiwan would be flying in the face of science by thinking otherwise, he added.

The committee on the contrary demanded that the Executive Yuan hold responsible the decision-making officials in the case for not consulting health experts and for ignoring a legislative resolution that requires the Executive Yuan to seek the legislature's approval before lifting a ban on imports.

Chen argued that the same was not done after being advised by both its legal counsellors and the grand justices that the legislature's request was "constitutionally unfounded."

Taiwan banned imports of US beef in 2003 following the outbreak of mad-cow disease. It lifted the ban in April 2005, only to reinstate it a month later after another such outbreak.

The Executive Yuan lifted the last ban in January, which resulted in an outcry from opposition legislators and consumer protection organisations.