May 3, 2023

Taiwan's Consumers' Foundation opposes lifting ban on Canadian beef imports

Taiwan's Consumers' Foundation opposed the country's Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) proposal to lift a ban on imports of Canadian beef from cattle older than 30 months, Taipei Times reported.

Taiwan's FDA issued a draught amendment to the Directions for Imported Beef and Beef Products from the US and Canada on Thursday, kicking off a 30-day public comment period.

According to the foundation, it has only been about a year since the last case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, was reported in Canada, and concerns have yet to be addressed.

Lifting the ban now would jeopardise public health and government accountability, it said.

The foundation said FDA's assessment process is flawed, and it urges people to boycott the products if the ban is lifted.

In 2015, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency confirmed the presence of mad cow disease in Canadian cattle, which was later linked to contaminated feed. Another case was reported in 2021, prompting South Korea, China, and the Philippines to suspend Canadian beef imports.

In response, the FDA said that data suggests that Canadian beef from cattle older than 30 months poses no health risk.

FDA Director-General Wu Shou-mei said the decision was made in accordance with appropriate procedures, including a risk assessment and specialist advisory committee, and data suggests that only about one in every five billion people would be at risk from eating BSE-infected cattle.

-      Taipei Times