January 26, 2011

Taiwanese pig farmers oppose US proposal to ease ractopamine ban

US' call for Taiwan to ease its strict regulations of zero levels of ractopamine, a feed additive that promotes leanness in meat, has been strongly opposed by the local pig industry.

Considering that the drug is banned in Japan and in many European countries, Taiwan's pig industry could lose its competitiveness if ractopamine is permitted, said Lin Chiu-kuei, director of Chiayi County Swineherd Association.

Easing the ban on the controversial drug could also destroy consumer confidence in Taiwan meat products, he said.

The Council of Agriculture ruled in 2006 that ractopamine, better known as Paylean, is prohibited because ingestion of the drug could lead to symptoms such as heart palpitations, arrhythmia, vomiting and nausea.

However, the US urged Taiwan on January 15 to follow in the footsteps of other countries like Australia, Canada, and New Zealand and set a minimum residual level (MRL) for allowable ractopamine in meat.

The US decided to postpone a trade meeting with Taiwan after some US beef products found to contain ractopamine residues were taken off the shelves of local supermarkets, Taiwanese officials said on January 22.

The meeting, under the two-way Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), was scheduled for late this month in Taipei.

It was the second time that the Taiwan-US TIFA meeting was aborted due to a controversy over farm product quarantines.

The TIFA, signed in September 1994, provides an official framework for Taiwan-US dialogue on trade and economic issues in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, but the two sides have not held any TIFA talks since 2007 due chiefly to conflict over a Taiwanese ban on US beef imports.