Agriculture Minister Tsao Chi-hung back-pedaled on earlier statements that Taiwan would have no choice but to allow imports of U.S. pork raised with use of growth stimulant ractopamine, said The China Post. The newspaper said U.S. officials have indicated that removal of the ban is a pre-condition for Taiwan to join the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
Last month, Tsao angered Taiwanese hog farmers by saying the domestic economy “could not afford to block” U.S. pork and “would not be able to say no,” said The China Post. In a session with lawmakers, Tsao apologized for “triggering fear” and said there have been no discussions with U.S. officials that touched on pork trade. “The United States is in an election and neither of the two candidates regard the TPP as an urgent priority. Why do we need to rush?” said Tsao.
Twenty percent of U.S. pork production is exported. Earlier this month, Taiwan re-opened its market for imports of U.S. mutton, blocked since 2003, said the U.S. Meat Export Federation, a trade group. The closure was linked to concern about scrapie, a brain-wasting disease, following the U.S. discovery of its first case of mad cow disease, a related disease.