Hairy crabs can be imported if criteria met: DOH

Cheng Huei-wen, director of the DOH Bureau of Food Safety, was responding to complaints by a Taiwanese importer who claimed to have suffered losses of NT$1 million (US$30,300) because the crabs, much sought-after by local people, are banned from entry to Taiwan, although Japan, South Korea and Singapore import them.

Cheng said Taiwan follows the suggested criteria set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, an organization created in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Program.

He added that Japan, South Korea and Singapore all follow the same inspection criteria.

“If Chinese hairy crabs can pass the inspection criteria of Japan and South Korea, then they can also pass Taiwan inspections,” he said.

Cheng made the remarks one day after China accused Taiwan of adopting too stringent criteria on hairy crabs, and said that if the two sides of the Taiwan Strait cannot reach an agreement on inspection criteria, Taiwan people this year will not be able to enjoy the crabs, considered a delicacy.

Cheng said the disagreement lies in the fact that China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine will not issue health certification on crabs bound for the Taiwan market. This certification is required by the Taiwanese authorities but not by the other nations mentioned.

Cheng explained the certification is required because hairy crabs imported and tested last year were found to contain traces of the banned antibiotic nitrofuran, a cancer-causing substance.

He said Taiwanese eels exported to Japan were also found to contain banned substances and were only permitted to be re-exported to Japan after its inspection and quarantine measures were approved by Japan, adding that “Taiwan does not follow particularly harsh criteria.”

The DOH stipulated this year that all hairy crabs from China must come from 42 certified crab farms and should have health certification from the General Administration of Quality Supervisory, Inspection and Quarantine, as well as clearing other tests.

After the arrival of the crabs in Taiwan, they must undergo random checking of each batch. If they fail these tests three times, they will be prohibited entry, according to the new criteria.

Cheng said that before the DOH announced the new control measures, it invited crab importers to meet three times in May to inform them about the more stringent measures, warning them to “assess the level of risk” in importing the animals.

Those importers who have ordered shipments of hairy crabs can still choose to re-export them to Hong Kong, Japan or South Korea, he pointed out.

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