Pork consumption has not gone down in Taiwan since the lifting of the ban on Jan. 1 of ractopamine-fed pork imports from the U.S.
According to Taiwan News, the government said Thursday that the opposite has happened. The total amount of pork consumed has surged by 6,000 tons for the period of Jan. 1 through Feb. 16 compared to the same period last year.
Taiwanese hog farmers opposed ending the ban because they feared local consumers would stop eating pork entirely out of fear of the leanness enhancer, the article said.
The proportion of that increased amount comprised by imported pork amounted to 8% of total consumption in both years, while other imported pork products made up 3%, according to Premier Su Tseng-chang, Taiwan News reports.
Overall consumption figures show critics were wrong to predict the collapse of the local market, he said in the article. No ractopamine residues have yet been found in the 400 batches of imported pork.
The Taiwanese government plans to invest NT$13 billion ($465 million) over the next four years in upgrading the quality and hygienic conditions of the domestic pork industry. Taiwan News reports these measures should result in pork exports rising by more than 20%.
The ban on the import of pork fed ractopamine was viewed as a major obstacle to improved trade relations between Taiwan and the U.S. and to an eventual bilateral trade agreement between the two countries, the article notes.
Read more:
Taiwan Lifts Ban on Ractopamine in U.S. Pork Imports
Pork Prices Climb in Taiwan, Consumers Turn Away from Imported Pork
Taiwan Paves Way For U.S. Trade Deal By Easing Pork, Beef Imports
