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Published Date: 2021-11-24
Economics Minister
Wang Mei-hua says that reinstating a ban on imports of pork containing
ractopamine would be akin to shooting oneself in the foot. The issue is set to
be decided in a referendum in December, alongside three others.
Wang is scheduled
to appear in a televised debate on referendum questions on Wednesday night. She
will represent and explain the government’s position.
Wang says that
Taiwan has been importing beef containing ractopamine for nine years, and that
this has never raised safety concerns. She says Taiwan’s Asian neighbors do not
object to importing pork treated with the feed additive, either. She says that
if the referendum to reinstate a ban on ractopamine-treated pork passes, it
will limit Taiwan’s space for participation in regional economic integration
and international free trade agreements.
Taiwan is hoping
to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific
Partnership, which currently includes eleven countries from the Pacific Rim.
Wang says a ban on pork imports may make Taiwan ineligible for membership.