February 21, 2012

Meat suppliers and markets within Taiwan are required to properly stamp pork and beef products with labels which state the country-of-origin.

According to the Tainan Mayor, Lai Ching-te, strict checks will be carried out to ensure meat products have been labelled in a correct manner.

Certificates will need to be shown by caters and meat processors. Meat containing lean meat additive ractopamine is prohibited. The additive can be found in animal feed and promotes leaner meat which fetches more at market prices but brings potential harm to human health.

However, there have been recent reports that Taiwan may give in to US demands regarding ractopamine. The Taiwanese government might apply different ractopamine standards to local and imported pork products.

Taiwan might lift a ban on US beef containing ractopamine while allowing imports of pork containing residue of such substances. According to reports, Washington has been pressuring Taipei to revise its zero tolerance policy on ractopamine, which was found in some rejected shipments of beef from the US last year.

The issue has become central to the ongoing suspension of talks between Taiwan and the US under the bilateral Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA 1994).

Taiwan banned the use and mandated a zero-tolerance approach to the feed additive ractopamine ten years ago.