February 24, 2012

 

Taiwan's pig farmers to protest US beef in March

 

 

Taiwan's pig farmers will march a protest on March 8 against any move to lift the bans on US beef imports that contain residues of feed additive ractopamine, a representative of the pig farmers association said Thursday (Feb 23).

 

The protest will be staged two days after a visit to Taiwan by Francisco Sanchez, US under-secretary of commerce for international trade, said Pan Lien-chou, an executive in the R.O.C. Swine Association.

 

Some 20,000 people are expected to participate in the demonstration in front of the Legislative Yuan and Council of Agriculture (COA) to voice their opposition against imports of US beef that contain ractopamine, Pan said.

 

The farmers will not protest at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) since the de facto US embassy does not allow such activities near its compound, Pan said.

 

Sanchez will be in Taiwan March 4-6 to push US President Barack Obama's National Export Initiative, which aims to double US exports by the end of 2014, according to the AIT.

 

The pig-farmers protest was re-scheduled from March 5 following a February 20 meeting between Agriculture Minister Chen Bao-ji and 13 of the association members, amid controversy over the ban on ractopamine, a leanness-enhancing drug.

 

The government, under pressure from the US, has been considering whether to relax its ban on ractopamine and allow the sale of meat that contains traces of the drug.

 

Ractopamine is allowed in livestock feed in 20-plus countries around the world, including the US, but it is banned in Taiwan, China, the EU and more than 100 other countries.

 

Chen said later Thursday that the government has not yet made a decision on the beef issue.

 

The COA will definitely protect the pig farming industry, but the industry also needs to stabilise pork prices, which have been falling, Chen said.

 

"It is more important to stay at home and take care of the pigs," Chen advised pig farmers, noting that protests are costly.

 

Meanwhile, Premier Sean Chen reiterated Thursday that the government will not make any decision on the beef issue as long the public has major concerns.

 

"We are still discussing it with the experts and have no set stance," the premier said at a workshop held by the ruling Kuomintang (KMT).

 

Until we can determine whether ractopamine is harmful to human health, we will continue to ban US beef containing residues of the drug, he said.

 

The US beef dispute has been a central issue in the re-opening of talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Taiwan and the US.