July 11, 2011

Taiwan's ractopamine ban remains in place

The Taiwanese government will not lift the ban on feed additives such as ractopamine, an official from the Department of Health's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday (Jul 7).

According to FDA Director Kang Chao-chau, because usage of feed additives was not legalised at this year's Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), usage of feed additives, including ractopamine, which is often found in US beef, will remain completely banned in Taiwan.

Under current regulations, ractopamine usage is banned in both locally produced meats and imported meats. Statistics show that several hundred tonnes of American beef have been rejected due to the ractopamine sampled in the beef.

The US Trade Representative (USTR) has been continuously urging the Taiwanese government to set a trace amount limitation that legalises residual ractopamine, officials said.

If the CAC legalises usage of feed additives in the next conference, the Taiwanese government will also allow additive usage and will continue to communicate with those who are against it, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said, over conditions such as "allowing residual standards that are lower than that of the US."

Politically, whether or not to allow usage of ractopamine is a sensitive topic: if the CAC had passed feed additive usage, then the US would have a stronger reason to ask Taiwan to lift the ban, and the government would have a dilemma as American and local producers have different opinions over feed additive applications.

Kang said that the current restriction over ractopamine usage remains in place, and no residual levels are allowed in either imported or locally produced meat. He reiterated that because there is currently no research that indicates the consumption of feed additive is safe, the Department of Health will not rashly lift the ban on ractopamine at the expense of local industry and people's health.