Ma: Gov’t Will Never Sacrifice Public Health for Economic or Trade Benefits

News Release

Ma: Gov’t Will Never Sacrifice Public Health for Economic or Trade Benefits

Source: KMT Culture and Communications Committee
March 15, 2012

Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) gave a report on his policy concerning the controversial US beef imports issue to the weekly Kuomintang (KMT) Central Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 14. After listening to Chen’s report, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also doubles as KMT chairman, said that public health was his top priority in handling the issue and that he would never sacrifice public health for any economic or trade benefits. Ma went on to say that the risks of using ractopamine (Paylean), a leanness-enhancing feed additive, was controllable, so his administration would reduce the risk to the minimum, allowing only limited quantities of ractopamine residue in beef. If ractopamine was ever found to be harmful to human health, the government would immediately ban the use of ractopamine, Ma added.
 
President Ma explained that the US beef imports issue had nothing to do with arms procurement or Taiwan’s candidacy for the US Visa Waiver Program, but would affect talks under the US-Taiwan Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), an economic and trade platform signed in 1994. However, Ma pointed out, because the former Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) administration had promised the US that it would resolve the beef issue and notified the WTO in 2007 that it would establish maximum residue levels for ractopamine, but reneged on its promises, TIFA talks had already been suspended for five years.
 
President Ma stated that the US beef issue was both a public health issue and a trade issue. He said that “in trade, credibility is the most important thing,” but the Chen administration’s handling of the issue resulted in the US labeling us “an unreliable trade partner.” He also noted that if Taiwan failed to maintain good economic and trade relations with the US, Taiwan would face unfavorable consequences, adding that Taiwan had to face up to the issue and try to resolve it with sincerity.   
 
President Ma also stressed that “every crisis entails an opportunity” and the government would use this opportunity to review and amend laws and regulations regarding food safety as well as strengthen its inspection of various foods in order to create a food safety consciousness within the society.
 

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