US calls for lifting of Taiwan ractopamine ban

The U.S., Canada and Brazil have called for Taiwan to lift its ban on meat imports containing residue of the leanness enhancer ractopamine, asking instead for Taiwan to adopt the minimum residue level it had initially planned to introduce in 2007, according to reports. Representatives for the countries spoke at a meeting of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Committee of the World Trade Organization in Geneva.
The U.S., Canada and Brazil said that scientific evidence shows ractopamine to be safe, and presented findings from the Joint Export Committee on Food Additives under the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. The administration of former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian had planned to set a minimum residue level of 10 parts per billion for ractopamine in pork and beef, but the government later decided to delay the decision. The country currently has a zero-tolerance policy for the enhancer.