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Civic groups mount
call-in against US beef
By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Civic groups and the Consumers’ Foundation yesterday encouraged consumers to
call legislators and urge them to vote against relaxing a ban on ractopamine
residues in US meat products, stressing that the health of Taiwanese should not
be used as a trading chip for economic development.
A vote on amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法) is scheduled
for tomorrow in the legislature, which if the ban on ractopamine residues in
meat products is relaxed, restrictions on US beef imports would be eased.
Quoting President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) from last week about the decision on US
beef imports having significant influence on whether Taiwan could become an open
and liberalized economy, the foundation said the government should halt all US
beef imports until clear scientific evidence proves the meat products containing
the residues are not harmful to health.
A meeting next month of the Codex Alimentarius Commission would continue its
discussions on the maximum safe level of ractopamine residue, foundation
chairperson Joann Su (蘇錦霞) said.
“Why can’t we wait until July to make the decision after an international
consensus has been achieved?” she asked.
Although the government has stated that relaxing the ban was needed to resume
negotiations with the US on the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA),
Su said: “Can it be guaranteed that our nation’s economy will be truly opened
and liberalized if TIFA negotiations resume? And is it worth it to trade
people’s health to regain the right to negotiate the TIFA?”
The civic groups and the foundation urged legislators who had proposed a
zero-tolerance policy to remain insistent on their proposals and encouraged
consumers to call lawmakers to express their opposition to relaxing the ban.
Meanwhile, a non-profit business organization in Washington said on Saturday
that Taiwan’s chances of entering the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are linked
to the resumption of trade talks with Washington under a bilateral agreement.
If the legislature votes to relax the ban on US beef imports containing
ractopamine tomorrow, Washington would resume TIFA talks with Taipei, US-Taiwan
Business Council president Rupert Hammond-Chambers said.
In turn, the only way for Taiwan to win the support of the US for entry to the
TPP is for the two sides to move toward the resumption of TIFA talks, he said in
an interview.
Talks under the TIFA, which was signed in 1994, have been stalled since 2007,
mainly over Taiwan’s restrictions on US beef imports. Asked about Taiwan’s
chances of signing a free-trade agreement (FTA) with the US, Hammond-Chambers
said “it’s not possible at this stage” since US President Barack Obama’s
administration is currently focused on the TPP, not an FTA.
However, if TIFA talks can be resumed, the two sides could discuss issues
related to e-commerce and bilateral investment treaties that would help create
business opportunities for both sides, he said.
The Office of the US Trade Representative said in an e-mail interview that the
US would support Taiwan’s inclusion in the TPP “at an appropriate time.”
The US supports any new candidate for membership that shows the ambition to
reach the high standards of the TPP, the office said.
Taiwan is eager to be included in the TPP agreement being negotiated by leaders
of nine countries — Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru,
Singapore, Vietnam and the US.
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