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Taiwan protests against US pork imports
From 2021, the US will again export pork and beef to Taiwan. The export ban has been lifted, but the Taiwanese people are not happy with this decision and are protesting.
At the end of August, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen announced that he would lift the ban on imports of American pork and beef. The border will reopen on January 1. "The decision was made on the basis of national economic interests and is in line with strategic objectives," Tsai said at a news conference. Issues related to US beef and pork imports have been creating barriers to trade between Taiwan and the US since 2000.
Protest
The Taiwanese people are not happy with the decision. On Sunday, November 22, thousands of people in Taiwan protested the lifting of the import ban. They marched through the streets demanding that the decision be reversed. According to them, the import of American pork causes food safety problems.
The problem lies in the residue of the drug ractopamine that pig farmers use. The European Union has banned the drug, but it is legal in the United States. A survey shows that about 67% of the Taiwanese population is against the decision to allow American pork containing ractopamine.
Requirement of inspections
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) believes the government should not allow pork imports until inspections at US meat plants have been completed. The government promised in a press conference that the inspections will take place after the corona crisis. The population is not satisfied with the government's promises, as the ban will be lifted in a month's time. This also leads to accusations against the government about the lack of guarantees of national food safety.
Chanti Oussoren
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