14 June, 2005 14:53 GMT
Taiwan first banned imports of US beef, live cattle and all related products in December 2003 after the discovery in Washington State of a single BSE case. On 16 April this year, Taiwan began to allow imports of US boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age.
Several legislators from across the political spectrum called Tuesday (14 June) for Department of Health (DOH) Minister Ho Sheng-mao to remove US beef products from store shelves and to reinstate the US beef import ban that was lifted barely two months ago.
The legislators were Lai Shin-yuan and David Huang of the Taiwan Solidarity Union, Lai Shyh-bao of the Kuomintang, and Huang Wei-cher of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Rash Decision
Lai Shin-yuan noted that although there are around 60 countries that currently import US beef, quite a few of these countries are affected areas of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or mad cow disease.
She noted that Taiwan is not one of the BSE-affected countries, but it rashly decided to lift the ban.
She pointed out that although a suspected BSE case was detected in the United States 10 June, Chen Lu-hung, director of the DOH's Bureau of Food Sanitation, said Monday that the DOH will only decide on the matter after a further test in Britain on the US sample.
Lai Shyh-bao criticized the DOH for not adequately protecting public health and demanded that the department suspend US beef imports, remove US beef products from store shelves, discipline negligent officials, and convene a hearing to make transparent its decision-making process on allowing the US beef imports.
Careful Consideration
Ho said that the matter will be handled strictly on considerations of professionalism. He quoted
World Organization for Animal Health guidelines as stating that boneless beef with no other specific dangerous substances from animals under 30 months of age can be exported even from BSE-infected areas.
He also said that DOH's decision to remove the US beef import ban in April was arrived at after careful consideration and that the department invites BSE experts to review its decision-making process.
He stressed that the DOH's policy has nothing to do with instructions from the Presidential Office or the Executive Yuan.
Taiwan first banned imports of US beef, live cattle and all related products in December 2003 after the discovery in Washington State of a single BSE case.
On 16 April this year, Taiwan began to allow imports of US boneless beef from animals under 30 months of age.
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