DOH to set 'safe' ractopamine level

 Late Monday, the Cabinet announced support for conditionally lifting Taiwan's ban on ractopamine-enhanced beef. The Department of Health (DOH, 衛生署) said yesterday it expects to calculate and announce a "safe level" for the additive within three months.    The DOH said it will open a"rigorous assessment" to set the official "safe level" of ractopamine in imported beef.   Within three months, DOH will pronounce a maximum residue level (MRL) that "ensures public health," said Deputy Minister Hsiao Mei-ling (蕭美玲) at the Legislative Yuan yesterday morning.   

Four Conditions on US Beef   Executive Yuan spokesman Philip Yang (楊永明) said Monday that the Cabinet supports allowing ractopamine based on four conditions: the establishment of a "safe level" of ractopamine, separate consideration for beef and pork, mandatory product labeling, and exclusion of offal imports.   The decision to ease the ban was "difficult" and informed by the recent series of inter-ministerial meetings. The Executive Yuan will proceed to "communicate" its decision to the Legislative Yuan, said Yang.  

Legislators' Attitudes   Taiwan's Cabinet is the main policy-shaping organ of the government, but lifting the ban must be done through amendment by the Legislative Yuan.   Such an amendment would vie with seven other drafts that are currently under parliamentary review.   Some aim to bulk up Taiwan's zero-tolerance policy toward ractopamine, while others propose using residue standards established by the international Codex Alimentarius   KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) suggested yesterday that Taiwan adopt Japan's ractopamine maximum residue level of 10 parts per billion (ppb), but Hsiao said she can promise only a "rigorous assessment" of risks.   "The Department of Health will take into consideration the people's misgivings, international data, and local residents' consumption patterns to assess hazards," she said.   The departmental policy against Paylean — or ractopamine for swine — continues to hold for both domestic and imported pork, said Food and Drug Administration Director-General Kang Jaw-jou (康照洲).   The DOH will ultimately comply with any amendment passed by the Legislative Yuan, said Hsiao.   

Students Protest 'puppet emperor'    Meanwhile, students protested alongside activists at the Presidential Office, charging President Ma Ying-jeou with playing the "puppet emperor."   Protestors threw chunks of U.S. beef at posters of Ma's face pasted to images of Uncle Sam. Captions read: "I want you ...to eat American beef."   Other signage read: "President Ma before the elections, puppet emperor after the election," and "toxic beef jeopardizes health."   The Cabinet's Monday announcement sets a troubling precedent, said a student from National Taiwan University surnamed Chen.   "In the future all members in the World Trade Organization (WTO) can request the same treatment from Taiwan," said Chen.   The U.S. suspended bilateral trade-related talks in 2011, after Taiwan turned away shipments of American beef containing ractopamine.  

No US Pressure: Premier   Local media asked Premier Sean Chen if there is U.S. pressure behind the Cabinet's move on the ractopamine ban, an assertion that Chen firmly rejected.   To this day, the U.S. has yet to clarify just how lifting the ban on ractopamine will impact Taiwan's status in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), said the premier Tuesday morning.   At present, he feels no pressure from the U.S., he added.   Chen stressed that the Cabinet's policy will not take effect without an amendment from the Legislative Yuan. The Executive Yuan will respect due process, he said.   The Executive Yuan also respects the will and well being of the people, Chen continued.   Polls say that 67 percent of the public would accept ractopamine within Taiwan if meat products are clearly labeled, he said.   Asked if the government will allow domestic pig farmers to use ractopamine, Chen said that is "the next issue to consider."