June 16, 2012

 

Taiwan to separate US beef and pork import permits

 

 

If Taiwan decides to allow entry of ractopamine-fed meat from the US, Taiwan will separate the permits between US beef and pork imports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday (June 14).

 

Referring to a set of guidelines announced by President Ma Ying-jeou to partially allow imports of beef containing the leanness-enhancer ractopamine, Steve Hsia, the ministry's deputy spokesman, said that"our policy is very clear."

 

"The guidelines include: A safe level of ractopamine in beef; separating the permits for importing beef and pork; clearly labeling beef imports; and excluding imports of internal organs," he said in a routine press conference.

 

Hsia's remarks came amid media reports that several US lawmakers have been urging US President Barack Obama's administration to press Taiwan to allow imports of both beef and pork containing ractopamine.

 

In March, 68 US lawmakers appealed to US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack about the restrictions Taiwan has placed on US beef and pork imports, which they described as not being based on science.

 

In a letter, they said that"toleration of Taiwan's unnecessary restrictions sets a dangerous precedent for the mistreatment of US products and undermines our efforts to establish objective, internationally recognised science-based standards for US exports."

 

"We are aware of the concerns put forward by the US congressmen," Hsia said, adding that the Obama administration also "fully understands" Taiwan's policy.

 

Imports of US beef have been a sore point in trade ties between Taipei and Washington for many years.

 

Taiwan first banned beef imports from the US when a case of mad cow disease was reported in the state of Washington in December 2003, then re-opened its doors to imports of boneless US beef from cattle under 30 months of age in April 2005.

 

It imposed another ban in June 2005 when a second case of mad cow disease case was reported in the US

 

Imports of boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age were resumed in 2006 and bone-in beef was granted entry in late 2009. But Washington has been pressing for wider opening and, more recently, has been lobbying strongly for Taiwan to lift its ban on beef containing ractopamine residue.