Executive Yuan, R.O.C. (Taiwan)

Shortly after the World Health Organization's Codex Alimentarius Commission voted 69-67 to allow certain levels of the leanness-enhancer ractopamine in meat, Premier Sean Chen on July 5 consulted with the heads of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health (DOH) and Council of Agriculture and set the following guidelines on addressing the beef import issue:

• The government will establish maximum residue levels for ractopamine in beef imports by considering Taiwan's situation and local dietary habits and using the safety standards adopted at the Codex meeting as reference.
• The Executive Yuan's policy to conditionally ease the ban on ractopmaine remains unchanged: determine safe limits, treat beef and pork separately, institute mandatory labeling and exclude internal organs.
• In view of citizens' dietary habits and the needs of domestic industries, the lifting of the ractopamine ban will apply to beef imports only.
• Mandatory labeling will be instituted to protect consumers' right to make informed choices.
• Beef imports will be inspected shipment-by-shipment to safeguard public health.
• Random inspections of imported beef sold on markets will be strengthened.
• The National Health Research Institutes (a nonprofit research organization supervised by the DOH) will step up efforts to monitor the population's health.

Premier Chen reaffirmed the Executive Yuan's respect for the consensus reached by ruling and opposition lawmakers in February this year. He also expressed his hopes that the Legislative Yuan, under the leadership of Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng, will pass the proposed amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation in the coming extra session in order to resolve the beef issue.