Council of Agriculture: Taiwan Livestock and Xindongyang pork have been recalled for testing

On the 13th, Kuomintang legislator Tsai Cheng-yuan announced the recent inspection results of the I-Mei Food Inspection Laboratory, which tested commercially available pork products. Among them, refrigerated back bone cuts, minced pork, pork belly with skin, pork liver, etc. purchased from Dinghao Supermarket were found to contain trace amounts of safenac. In addition to safenac, Taishou and Xindongyang sausages were also found to contain cemanterol. The Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan pointed out tonight that after investigation by the council, the Taiwan Livestock and Xindongyang pork products that were found to contain clenbuterol as mentioned by legislator Tsai Cheng-yuan have been recalled by the industry. The Council of Agriculture will also assist the industry in sending the recalled products to laboratories approved by the Department of Health for testing and confirmation.

The Council of Agriculture of the Executive Yuan pointed out tonight that after investigation by the council, the pork products from Taiwan Livestock and Hsin Dongyang that were found to contain clenbuterol as mentioned by legislator Tsai Cheng-yuan have been recalled by the industry.

However, Hsu Gui-sen, director of the Animal Husbandry Department of the Council of Agriculture, made a public clarification in the evening, stating that he had recently sent personnel to sample 17 processed meat products sold on the market, including Taiwan Livestock, Hsin-Tung-Yang, Uni-President, Hei-Qiao, Taiwan Sugar, and Futong CAS sausages, and sent them to the Central Animal Husbandry Commission for testing for beta-receptors such as ractopamine, and the results showed that none of them were detected.

The test results reported by the media were carried out by the I-Mei Company Laboratory, but the laboratory does not have a commissioned test for beta-receptors. Therefore, the industry will send the results to a laboratory approved by the Department of Health to test beta-receptors for further testing and confirmation.

Xu Guisen emphasized that currently the only laboratories approved by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan to test beta-receptors are SGS (Taiwan Testing Technology) Taipei Food Laboratory and the Central Animal Husbandry Council. The Council of Agriculture will also assist in sampling the batch of recalled products and send them to the Central Animal Husbandry Council for inspection to clarify the facts.

The products that Commissioner Tsai Cheng-yuan pointed out were the original sausages produced by Taiwan Livestock Corporation on February 14, 2012 (effective date 101.04.14); and the DHA original sausages produced by Hsin Tung Yang Corporation on January 9, 2012 (effective date 101.03.24). The Council of Agriculture has sent personnel to Taiwan Livestock Corporation and Hsin Tung Yang Corporation to complete the investigation. The quantities of these products were 1,200 kilograms and 1,000 kilograms respectively, and the industry has already recalled these products.