U.S. Pork and Beef Restrictions in Taiwan Relaxed

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen agreed to relax limitations on the import of U.S. beef and pork. At a broadcasted news briefing, Tsai said she had ordered her government to ease regulations to allow imports of American pork containing trace amounts of an animal-feed additive used by some U.S. farms, as well as U.S. beef products from cattle age 30 months and older. The restrictions on U.S. beef and pork stemmed from public-health concerns related to mad-cow disease and the additive ractopamine, a meat-leanness enhancer used by some U.S. meat producers.

The announcement came about two weeks after Tsai said she wanted to start talks on a free-trade agreement with the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated in a tweet that the U.S. salutes Taiwan’s decision to lift restrictions on imports of American pork and beef. “This move opens the door for even deeper economic and trade cooperation,” he said. Tsai said the timing of her decision was driven by a desire to secure Taiwan’s economic future by playing a significant role in the reformation of global supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a statement to Brownfield, the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) says the organization has worked for nearly 15 years to eliminate Taiwan’s non-tariff barriers to U.S. pork exports.

NPPC says it is grateful for the work of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to eliminate barriers to US pork exports around the world. NPPC says it will continue to defend the right of US hog farmers to use production processes and products that are deemed safe and opposes government mandates that, with no scientific backing, dictate production practices and unnecessarily increase food prices and inhibit consumer choice.

Morgan Ortagus, the Department of State’s Spokesperson stated in a press release, “We welcome President Tsai Ing-Wen’s August 28 statement that Taiwan will move quickly to lift restrictions on imports of U.S. pork and beef.  We look forward to the timely implementation of these actions, which will provide greater access for U.S. farmers to one of East Asia’s most vibrant markets, and for Taiwan consumers to high-quality U.S. agricultural products.  President Tsai’s vision and leadership in removing these long-standing barriers open the door to greater economic and trade cooperation between the United States and Taiwan.”

https://www.asas.org/taking-stock/blog-post/taking-stock/2020/09/28/u.s.-pork-and-beef-restrictions-in-taiwan-relaxed