Referendum drive against U.S. beef imports moving into second phase

Civic groups in Taiwan led by the Consumers' Foundation and politicians contend that allowing the entry of products that are considered at high risk of spreading the disease could endanger the health of local consumers.

Under public pressure, the KMT-controlled Legislative Yuan amended the Act Governing Food Sanitation on Jan. 5 to target beef products from countries with documented BSE cases over the past decade.

It will effectively bar U.S. ground beef, beef offal and other beef parts such as the skull, eyes and intestines from access to Taiwan's market, though setting no restrictions on bone-in beef.

In the wake of the amendment, Premier Wu Den-yih said the government will seek to reopen talks with Washington on issues related to beef imports now that a small part of the Taiwan-U.S. beef trade protocol has become inapplicable.

Pledging to go ahead with the referendum drive, Consumers' Foundation Chairman Hsieh Tien-jen said Thursday that using a referendum to pressure the United States to reopen beef trade talks with Taiwan remains the best way to deal with the problem.

According to Hsieh, the action taken by the legislature could draw retaliation from the United States and might provoke new controversy because it contravenes the Taiwan-U.S. protocol.

He said the fact that bone-in beef is less dangerous than ground beef and beef offal in terms of BSE contamination does not mean no risk is involved. Consumers should be given the chance to decide by themselves whether the product can be imported into the country, he added.

Also Thursday, Executive Yuan spokesman Su Jun-pin said the Cabinet respects the decision by the Referendum Screening Committee.

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