Taiwan’s three presidential candidates have voiced their opposition to allowing imports of US pork containing a leanness enhancing drug called ractopamine.
The topic came into play at the first live televised presidential debates on Sunday. A representative from Apple Daily asked the candidates whether they would allow the imports if it were a prerequisite for joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
Premier Mao Chi-kuo said at the legislature on Tuesday that US pork imports is the biggest issue in negotiating Taiwan’s bid to join the regional trade bloc. He said, though, that Taiwan would not allow US pork with traces of ractopamine to enter Taiwan.
The ruling Kuomintang’s chairman and presidential candidate, Eric Chu said that food safety is a priority for the people of Taiwan. He said standards for pork needed to be high in Taiwan because people here consume more pork than they do in the United States.
The chairwoman of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Tsai Ing-wen, also said that the imports of pork containing ractopamine should not be allowed. She said that Taiwan should look to other countries which have similar eating habits, like Japan and South Korea.
The PFP’s James Soong, on the other hand, said that the government must not sacrifice the people’s health in the pursuit of economic growth.