Scholars call for more ractopamine risk analysis

 TAIPEI -- A group of scholars on Friday urged the government to conduct more risk analysis on ractopamine, a day before the government meets again to discuss whether or not a ban on the leanness-enhancing drug should be lifted.    Because ractopamine has yet to be commonly acknowledged as safe by the international community, Taiwan should not rush into any decision that it may regret, said Chan Chang-chuan, a professor in National Taiwan University's (NTU's) College of Public Health.   Authorities should take into consideration more risk factors, such as the tendency of Taiwanese to eat internal organs and the lack of human clinical trials, he told the media at a conference on risk analysis.   So far, the government has done a poor job of risk analysis, the professor said, citing the fact that representatives from civic groups have not been invited to the government's meetings on the issue, leading to poor communication among stakeholders.   Chan also noted that there are simply not enough scientific studies to identify ractopamine health risks in humans, a fact that the European Union cited as a factor in its banning of the drug.   Chou Kuei-tien, a member of the Society for Risk Analysis, said risk analysis involves three main areas — the assessment of risk based on scientific evidence, the establishment of a dialogue channel with the public, and the actions of management.   Chou, a professor with NTU's Graduate Institute of National Development, said Taiwan should not settle for less just because of outside pressure.   The deliberation of the issue comes amid pressure from Washington on Taiwan to open its market to meat containing residues of ractopamine, a drug often used by U.S. farmers to raise pigs and cattle. Taiwan has imposed a ban on ractopamine since 2006.   When Taiwan blocked shipments of U.S. beef containing ractopamine residues in early 2011, the U.S. extended the suspension of bilateral talks under the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), after having appeared to be ready to resume them.   The U.S. continues to insist that the science backs its contention that meat with ractopamine in trace amounts is safe.   Sheila Paskman, the American Institute in Taiwan's (AIT's) Public Affairs Section chief, said the answers to the concerns raised by the scholars can all be found in documents released by the AIT, which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties.   The AIT has released two documents in the last two weeks on the safety of U.S. beef and ractopamine. Both can be found on the AIT's website.   Regarding the lack of human trials, she explained that there is no reason to conduct them because people do not consume ractopamine directly but rather ingest residues of the substance when they eat meat.   Paskman also brushed off the assumption that the habit of eating internal organs only exists in Taiwan. "People in the United States also eat them."   "We will continue to post scientific studies on our website," she added.