Taiwan's lawmakers approve ban on US ground beef
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
TAIPEI, Jan 5 (Bloomberg): Taiwan's parliament voted to reinstate a ban on imports of US ground beef and offal amid mad-cow concerns, challenging a decision by President Ma Ying- jeou to allow some shipments and risking a dispute with the US
Lawmakers passed a final reading to amend the Food Safety Law to back the ban, according to a broadcast today on national television that cited Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng. Ma is required to sign the bill for it to pass into law.
Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Jim Miller said December 30 that a ban would "represent a new barrier to US beef exports." Taiwan, the sixth-largest importer of US beef by value, buys 73,000 metric tons annually, according to Taiwan's Bureau of Plant and Animal Health.
"The United States deeply regretted" the lawmakers' decision, said Chris Kavanagh, a spokesman for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy in Taipei. The US is urging Taiwan's government to honor its commitments, Kavanagh said by phone.
President Ma in October allowed imports of bone-in beef cuts from US cattle younger than 30 months and products that don't have so-called specified risk material, including brain. Since then, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party has organized protests demanding a referendum on the issue on concerns that imports may cause mad-cow disease.
Taiwan's government will accelerate procedures to allow imports of bone-in US beef from cattle younger than 30 months to gain trust from the US, Ma said at a press conference in Taipei today. "This should help improve the sentiment," he said.
Lawmakers passed a final reading to amend the Food Safety Law to back the ban, according to a broadcast today on national television that cited Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng. Ma is required to sign the bill for it to pass into law.
Deputy US Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis and Undersecretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Jim Miller said December 30 that a ban would "represent a new barrier to US beef exports." Taiwan, the sixth-largest importer of US beef by value, buys 73,000 metric tons annually, according to Taiwan's Bureau of Plant and Animal Health.
"The United States deeply regretted" the lawmakers' decision, said Chris Kavanagh, a spokesman for the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US embassy in Taipei. The US is urging Taiwan's government to honor its commitments, Kavanagh said by phone.
President Ma in October allowed imports of bone-in beef cuts from US cattle younger than 30 months and products that don't have so-called specified risk material, including brain. Since then, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party has organized protests demanding a referendum on the issue on concerns that imports may cause mad-cow disease.
Taiwan's government will accelerate procedures to allow imports of bone-in US beef from cattle younger than 30 months to gain trust from the US, Ma said at a press conference in Taipei today. "This should help improve the sentiment," he said.