No timetable for fully opening market to U.S. beef: health minister

Yeh made the remarks in response to media inquiries after Jason Yuan, Taiwan's representative to the United States, confirmed the previous day that a delegation from the U.S. Trade Representative office had talked with Taiwanese officials on the issue during a recent visit to Taiwan.

The two sides "engaged in delightful talks, " Yuan said.

Meanwhile, Harry Tseng, head of the Department of North American Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also expressed optimism over the timeline for market opening.

Taiwan banned U.S. beef in 2003 when a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or mad cow disease) was diagnosed in Seattle.

The ban was lifted in April 2005 to allow imports of U.S. de-boned beef from cattle aged under 30 months, but the government reimposed the ban two months later when a second BSE case was discovered in the U.S.

In 2006, the DOH agreed to allow beef imports once again, limited to boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months of age, produced from certified slaughterhouses and without high-risk items such as brains and spinal cords.

Asked about the risk of consuming U.S. beef, Yeh admitted that the average lifetime risk of contracting BSE through eating boneless beef is one in 7.18 trillion -- equivalent to the risk of being hit by lightning twice in a row.

However, Yeh said that despite the trivial risk, some people are still hesitant to eat beef out of health concerns.

Over the past three years, U.S. beef imports have been increased year-on-year. At present, the U.S. supplies 32 percent of Taiwan's beef, with the rest coming mainly from New Zealand and Australia.

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