Importers are unhappy about being treated as thieves! Department of Health: Business operators cannot shirk responsibility

Market sampling has repeatedly found the presence of the lean meat stimulant "ractopamine", and many beef importers have suffered heavy losses. The Department of Health invited importers to a meeting on the morning of the 5th to explain the current enhanced management principles. Some businesses are dissatisfied with the government. Since the border sampling has passed, why do market monitoring results make them be treated as thieves? However, the Department of Health emphasized that when placing orders with the United States, the use of animal drugs and whether their residues meet quality standards are part of the contract between the industry, so importers cannot shirk their responsibilities.

The Department of Health announced six major measures to strengthen imported beef, causing a backlash from importers. The picture shows a beef vendor slicing beef. (Photography by Luo Huiwen)

In order to ensure the safety of food consumed by the public, Director-General Chiu Wen-ta of the Department of Health announced yesterday that six major measures will be strengthened on imported beef: supervising local health bureaus to inspect meat sold on the market, inviting importers and traders to explain the principles of strengthening management, increasing the number of consumer consultation service hotlines and service hours, convening risk assessment meetings within two weeks, increasing the number of border inspections for violators, and enforcing meat labels to indicate the origin. Compared with the original "three controls and five cards" measures of controlling the source, controlling the border, and controlling the market, this can be said to be an expanded version.

Cai Shuzhen, head of the Food Group of the Food and Drug Administration, said that they have been conducting batch-by-batch inspections at the border for four importers with violations and five product numbers of meat. The sampling rate for 18 importers and 13 product numbers of meat has also been increased from the general 5% to 20%. She said that 20 importers attended the meeting in the morning, including illegal operators such as Shusen and Yuga, and they all expressed their willingness to cooperate with management guidance regarding the latest management regulations.

However, some business operators have expressed their frustration that it does not matter how high the border sampling rate is raised, but they are dissatisfied as they are already cooperating with border inspections so the question of whether market monitoring can be stopped is raised. Otherwise they would be treated as thieves. Some business owners also said that their supply chains were interrupted and their livelihoods were greatly affected.

Tsai Shu-zhen said that controlling the source, the border, and the market are established measures. Source management is mainly aimed at slaughterhouse hygiene and cattle age identification. Border sampling is impossible to sample batch by batch due to manpower constraints, so the sampling rate was originally only 5%. Market sampling is then used as the third checkpoint. This is the responsibility of the government.

However, she pointed out that ractopamine is still banned in the country. The management of this type of animal medication is subject to quality monitoring. Therefore, when businesses place orders with the United States, they must make requirements for this quality. This is part of the drafting of contracts between businesses, so businesses must also take responsibility and cannot rely entirely on government inspections to control it.