Just like Britain, Taiwan has a beef with imports of US food

Thousands demonstrated in Taipei last weekend over the possible imports of US pork, in an issue which has become a political flashpoint, reports WIlliam Yang

Men maintain order before protesters march to the Presidential Office Building in Taipei, which this year focused on the government’s proposed import of US (EPA/David Chang)

It is a tale familiar to anyone in the UK. 

A country desperate for a trade agreement with the US as it seeks a new place in the world, but facing consumer anger over the subsequent lowering of food standards with American food imports.

But for Britain, read Taiwan, and for chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef, think pork.

On 22 November, thousands of people took to the streets in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, to express their concerns about the government’s decision to ease restrictions on imports of US pork. Dr Su Wei-shuo, who has openly criticised the government’s decision since it was first revealed in August, told The Independent that the most concerning aspect of the decision was the safety of ractopamine, an additive that’s banned in Europe and China.

“The same issue created widespread protest in Taiwan eight years ago, and the ruling party was the main driving force behind that protest at the time,” said Dr Su. “Many of us were shocked when Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen announced on 28 August that she planned to ease restrictions on imports of American pork containing ractopamine.”  

In August, President Tsai revealed the plan, starting on 1 January,  to ease the import ban on American pork containing ractopamine and beef from cattle aged over 30 months. The move was widely viewed as an attempt to set the stage for a trade deal with the United States. Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture initially promised to follow standards set by the international Codex Alimentarius Commission to limit the maximum residual level of ractopamine in imported pork.  

On 21 November, the two countries held talks as part of a new economic dialogue, which comes at a diplomatically contentious time with tensions growing in the region, and between China and the US. Beijing sees Taiwan as a breakaway province which will one day become part of China. 

Following pushback from civil society groups and opposition parties, the Taiwanese government announced that it would adopt stricter standards on residual ractopamine levels in pig’s kidneys, considering the habits in Taiwan of eating certain parts of pigs. “The stricter level of kidneys is a concern for women who may consume it in large amounts during their postpartum recovery,” said Taiwan’s health minister, Chen Shih-chung.  

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s legislature made a decision to review nine administrative directives put forth by multiple government agencies. The directives were part of the government’s response to concerns related to food safety and other issues raised by Taiwanese citizens and opposition parties.  

However, opponents of the government’s proposal remain suspicious of the administration’s willingness to hold any dialogue around the topic. Ms Chang, who has been following the issue closely, told The Independent that the president’s move to reveal the decision during the recess of the legislature shows she wasn’t planning to engage the public on this controversial topic.  

“There are serious procedural flaws in how the decision was introduced,” Chang said. “From a consumer’s perspective, one thing that matters the most is how the government plans to ensure that imported pork containing ractopamine is not going to compromise Taiwanese citizens’ health.”

According to Dr Su, pork is often used in manufactured food in Taiwan and that makes it hard for consumers to identify where the pork is imported from. “Even though the government has promised to add labels related to the origin of packed pork products, the origin of pork sold to food suppliers and other relevant information, it doesn’t include a label that shows the amount of ractopamine in the pork,” Dr Su told The Independent.  

“Simply put, the proposed administrative directives aren’t enough to ease the public’s concerns about food safety. Food safety has long been the top priority for Taiwanese people, so for many of them, they won’t be willing to sacrifice their health in exchange for a free trade deal with the United States,” said Dr Su.  

On 23 November 23, Taiwan’s health minister said during a legislative session that not all US pork contains ractopamine, and that the presence of the additive doesn’t mean the pork is poisonous. “Just as most people understand that not all US beef contains ractopamine ... US pork does not mean pork containing ractopamine, and pork containing ractopamine is not equal to poisonous pork,” Chen said.  

While some food science experts think it is reasonable for the Taiwanese government to use international standards to control the import of American pork containing ractopamine, they think the government has failed to accurately calculate how much imported pork Taiwanese citizens usually consume.  

Wayne Yang, who has more than 20 years of experience in the food manufacturing industry, said that since there is a high demand for pig viscera in Taiwan, viscera from imported pork are often used to satisfy the domestic demand. As a result, it is inaccurate for the Taiwanese government to claim that market share of imported pork is relatively low in Taiwan.  

“I’ve been telling people that the threat of eating pork containing ractopamine isn’t as serious as some politicians have claimed,” Yang said. “The most important thing is for the government to share all existing facts with Taiwanese people, because they can only make very informed decisions if they have all the facts.”  

Despite growing discontent about the Taiwanese government’s decision to ease restrictions on the import of American pork and beef, experts think Washington’s response could affect politics in Taiwan.

“Trade has been a topic in US-Taiwan relations since at least 20 years ago, and pork and beef had become the roadblock for any further talks,” said Chieh-Ting Yeh, vice-chairman of the Global Taiwan Institute in Washington DC. “By swallowing the pill, Taiwan shows determination to move forward and now it’s up to the US to honour that determination.”  

Yeh argued that if the subsequent trade talks break new ground, then the Tsai administration’s decision will seem a lot more legitimate in the eyes of Taiwanese people. “While the political rhetoric in Taiwan probably won’t affect the actual prospects of further trade talks, what countermeasures political leaders in Taiwan put in place to protect local farmers’ interests and food safety will become part of the trade discussion in the long run,” Yeh told The Independent.