Taiwan

Taiwan Invokes Special Safeguards for Pork Belly Imports

Mon, 20 Nov 2023 19:11:29 GMT

Taiwan notified the World Trade Organization on Sept. 28 that it was invoking volume-based special safeguards on imports of pork belly, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) wrote in its latest Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) Report.

Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 11, 2023, Taiwan imported 15,160 metric tons of pork belly. This volume exceeded the specified trigger levels for the activation of the special safeguards.

This safeguard is triggered when imports exceed the sum of 110% of the average import volume of the last three years and the change in yearly consumption in the most recent year.

Accordingly, Taiwan will impose additional duties on pork belly, equivalent to an additional one third of the normal duties, of 12.5% for WTO members, from the date of the activation until Dec. 31.

Taiwan customs data show that Taiwan imported 16,009 metric tons of pork belly between January and the end September 2023, including 35% or 5,639 metric tons from Canada, 22% or 3,566 metric tons from the Netherlands, 15% or 2,378 metric tons from Spain, 12 percent or 1,921 metric tons from the U.S., and 6.8% or 1,095 metric tons from Denmark.

The GAIN reports contains assessments of commodity and trade issues, USDA reports, made by USDA staff and are not necessarily statements of official U.S. government policy.

Read More:

10 African Swine Research Projects Wrap Up in Vietnam

Relax! Asking for Help is Not All About You

Researchers Confirm There Are Only Six Unique Strains of African Swine Fever Virus

U.S. Pork Exports Rebound as Taiwan Reconsiders Ractopamine Controversy

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:46:41 GMT

Based on negative publicity regarding the use of ractopamine, U.S. pork exports to Taiwan plummeted in 2021 and 2022, reports the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

Jihae Yang, USMEF vice president for Asia Pacific, recalls, on Jan. 1, 2021, Taiwan began to allow the importation of pork containing ractopamine.

“The response from the public was an anti-ractopamine demonstration in Taipei, featuring thousands of people and cities and the province authorities campaigning to undermine the credibility and safety of U.S. pork,” Yang adds. “It included the heavy testing on U.S. pork distributed in the market eventually making restaurants and retailers reluctant to feature U.S pork.”

Despite the negativity, the global pork supply dynamics have led U.S. pork to rebound in 2023. Specifically, Yang says the U.S. industry is capitalizing on tighter supplies of European pork entering Taiwan and of domestic pork in the country, which have lead to increased prices for Taiwanese consumers.

“This year, we see more inquiries on U.S. pork from foodservice and the wholesale customers. U.S. pork market share has increased from 1.3% to 9%,” Yang notes, with increased interest in the sparerib, loin and tenderloin in foodservice and branded belly and the collar butt in high-end retail markets.

Many top pork processors in Taiwan are still cautious about using U.S. pork, yet Yang remains optimistic.

“We believe the acceptance will increase throughout the chain, creating more favorable environment for end users to feature U.S. pork,” Yang says.

Preliminary Trade Agreement Between U.S., Taiwan Garners Approval from Senate

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 20:00:00 GMT

The Senate has approved a preliminary trade agreement with Taiwan, clearing its path to President Biden’s desk for final approval. This legislation was a result of negotiations between the Biden administration and Taipei.

The bill outlines transparency and cooperation terms for future negotiations and could potentially pave the way for stronger tax ties between the U.S. and the island nation. Though the bill had previously been blocked in the Senate, it managed to secure passage due to its bipartisan support.

The bill was initially introduced back in June by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Finance ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), and ranking member Richard Neal (D-Mass.). These legislators believe that this bill sends a strong message about the willingness of Congress to enhance its trade relationship with Taiwan, subsequently asserting Congress’s constitutional authority over trade agreements.

The leaders also drafted a proposed legislation earlier this month that promises treaty-like benefits for businesses seeking cross-border investment opportunities via the tax code.

Of note: This tax bill will aim to lower withholding taxes on dividends, interest, and royalties associated with cross-border investments, making it accessible for smaller businesses to engage in these types of investments by alleviating related barriers. Thus, encouraging increased economic cooperation and mutual financial benefits between the two nations.

Taiwan Should Be a Better Market for U.S. Pork, NPPC Says

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 14:53:41 GMT

With nearly 24 million people and a cultural preference for pork, Taiwan should be a better market for U.S. pork, NPPC said in a release on Friday. Last year, Taiwan imported just $13 million of U.S. pork due to market access issues.

NPPC urges Taiwan to eliminate restrictions on pork, including a country-of-origin labeling scheme. Opening new and expanding existing markets through trade agreements, investment framework agreements and market access deals is vital to the industry’s success, Maria Zieba, National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) vice president of international affairs, said during a panel discussion at the World Pork Expo.

In 2021, Taiwan implemented new food safety labeling that targets the U.S. Since then, U.S. pork exports have dropped to $13 million in 2022 from $54 million in 2020. During this same time period, Taiwan has been increasing its imports from U.S. competitors.

On June 9, the Senate and House trade committee leaders introduced legislation to approve the first trade deal negotiated under the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century Trade Initiative and required the Biden administration to consult with Congress on future agreements.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Ranking Member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-Mass.) sponsored the companion measures, which also set robust transparency requirements.

“The United States and Taiwan share democratic values, deep economic ties and strong people-to-people connections,” Sen. Wyden said in a release . “Those links have formed the basis of constructive trade discussions. My colleagues and I want to ensure these agreements have the support and durability of a bipartisan approval process behind them.”

The first agreement finalized under the U.S.-Taiwan trade initiative covers customs administration and trade facilitation, regulatory practices, services regulations, anti-corruption and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Among others, remaining issues to be hammered out include agriculture, labor and non-market practices.

“We’ve made it a priority to get better market access in the Taiwanese market,” Zieba says. “I think the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st-Century Trade is a great opportunity to finally resolve market access issues that we’ve seen arise over the last few decades.”

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Is the EATS Act the Answer to Prop 12 Concerns?

U.S. Defense Spending Bill Leads to China Taking Aim at Taiwan

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 19:48:48 GMT

Taiwan’s defense ministry said China sent 71 warplanes and seven naval vessels on “strike drills”⁠ — rehearsals for conflict ⁠— into its air-defense zone on Monday.

China had condemned an American spending bill that included military assistance for Taiwan, accusing both countries of escalating their “collusion and provocation.” Tensions have been especially high since Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House, visited the island in August.

Meanwhile, Taiwan extended mandatory military service in response to growing fears of China. From 2024, conscripts will spend a year in the military, up from four months currently. The move could increase Taiwan’s military manpower by about 40%, analysts told Reuters.

Conscripts will be tasked with guarding infrastructure, allowing the island’s professional forces to respond to an invasion, and make it more like a “porcupine” — prickly and hard to attack.

More on China :

China Cites U.S. Ag for Why It’s Chosen Not to Invade Taiwan
China Halts COVID-19 Data
5 Trends Happening In China That Will Affect Your Farm

China Cites U.S. Ag for Why It's Chosen Not to Invade Taiwan

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 19:32:58 GMT

Can U.S. agriculture stand between China and a war in Taiwan? According to economists, it can and is.

“China’s own military released a report maybe two months ago that said the single main reason for us not to intervene in Taiwan directly is that the U.S. might see this as an excuse to impose sanctions if we do not bring in food from outside China,” Chris Kuehl, Armada Corporate Intelligence chief economist said in an episode of Farming the Countryside.

Also in the report, China acknowledged that they are only 20% independent in soybeans and buy 80% of what it needs.

China’s military report comes as the country grapples with a protein shortage .

Up the Pork Ante

In October, China sold 200,000 metric tons of pork from state reserves to help ease surging domestic pork prices.

Jim Wiesemeyer, Pro Farmer policy analyst, says China announced it now plans to release its seventh batch of frozen pork from reserves.

Increasing pork production might be the country’s main tactic to tackle low pork numbers.

China’s sow herd grew 2% in September versus the prior month to 43.62 million head, according to the country’s ag ministry. The hog herd increased 3.1% from the prior month to 443.94 million head and was up 1.4% from year-ago.

Will History Repeat Itself?

With the herd increase and reserves in tow, will the resources be enough to curb China’s imports of U.S. protein and allow the country to invade Taiwan? Kuehl isn’t convinced.

He says the choice to hold off on war in Taiwan is based on a page from China’s history books.

“In the last 2,500 years, every Chinese government that has fallen, has fallen over food,” says Kuehl. “They need those import markets—be it from the U.S, Canada, Brazil, Argentina or Australia.”

China can likely “get along” without U.S. imports, as Kuehl thinks they would seek out other countries. However, he doesn’t feel their exports could handle a riff with the U.S. due to its sales stake in stores such as Walmart and Target.

Exploring Other Avenues

Any hope for becoming less dependent on imports is useless in China, according to Kuehl, who says almost two-thirds of its land is “useless.”

“As far as ag, China is desert, mountains and simply not up for this—they’re actually quite resource poor,” he says. “They import oil and many precious metals that they need. Some things they have independence with, but not many.”

U.S.’s Trade Tactics

The news in China comes as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced next steps in its four-year review of tariff actions in China.

USTR will open an electronic portal on Nov. 15 to gather information on the impacts of China’s acts, policies and practices in technology transfer, intellectual property and innovation.

According to USTR, the electronic portal will be open to the public, with the questions in the portal made available to respondents sometime this week.

More on trade:

New Legislation Could Halt Gas Exports When Prices are High
Mexico to Proceed with GMO Corn Ban
Saudi Arabia Accuses Unnamed Countries of Using Emergency Oil Reserves to Manipulate Markets

Taiwan Approves Three Referendums with Pork, Energy at Top of List

Fri, 14 May 2021 14:15:43 GMT

Taiwan’s election commission approved on Friday the holding of three referendums in late August that could affect both the island’s relations with the U.S. and its energy security if they are passed.

Referendums have increasingly been used to resolve contentious issues such as same-sex marriage, though they need a turnout of at least 25% of some 19 million eligible voters to be valid, with a majority voting “yes” to get passed.

“The Central Election Commission has deliberated on, and approved, three referendums,” it said in a statement.

The two most contentious issues to be decided could have wider implications if approved when put to voters on Aug. 28.

One is whether to ban pork containing a leanness-enhancing additive, while the other concerns whether to change the site of a planned new liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to protect the maritime environment.

Last year, the government approved pork containing ractopamine, which is banned in the European Union and China though widely used in the United States, despite the objections of the main opposition party, the Kuomintang, on safety grounds.

The government hopes the move will pave the way for a free trade deal with Washington. Major Taiwan food firms have pledged not to sell or import pork made with ractopamine.

The LNG referendum asks whether the terminal should be relocated from a site that affects a northern algal reef. The government says the terminal is vital for energy security, and has already said it will change the site.

The third vote asks whether referendums should be held on the same day as general elections, which supporters say would lead to higher turnout.

A fourth referendum, on whether the government should continue building a stalled fourth nuclear power plant, has already been approved and also goes to the vote on Aug. 28. The government wants to phase out nuclear power.

The government is obliged to propose laws that reflect the results.

However, when voters rejected same-sex marriage in 2018 the government went ahead with the law, as the supreme court had already ruled that such couples had the legal right to marry.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard)

More from Farm Journal’s PORK:

Creating a Sustainable Pig...All Starts in the Field

3 Experts Share Tips to Lower Feed Costs and Improve Profitability

Taiwan Will Fine Farmers Transporting Pigs Without GPS Trackers

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:04:44 GMT

In August, owners of trucks transporting pigs without GPS trackers might face serious fines in Taiwan, an action the country’s Council of Agriculture has taken to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF).

Hog transportation from farms to slaughterhouses and other locations is one of the biggest channels for virus transmission, the council said.

They have anxiously watched nearby China’s difficulties controlling the disease. More than 137 outbreaks of ASF have been reported in the neighboring country, but sources say many cases are going unreported . Six Asian countries — China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and North Korea — have reported African swine fever outbreaks, in addition to 32 African countries and 17 European nations.

So far, GPS trackers have been installed on 1,425 vehicles used to transport hogs in Taiwan, with only 565 remaining without the equipment, reports the Taipei Times . If the disease enters Taiwan, the council would review the historical travel data of hog transportation vehicles to try to minimize the scope of affected areas.

The council’s Information Management Center has developed a platform to integrate the data from the GPS trackers, and government officials have started using on their cellphones to monitor vehicles nationwide.

Starting next month, owners of vehicles transporting live pigs would face fines from NT$3,000 to NT$15,000 under the Animal Protection Act if the vehicles have not had a GPS tracker installed or it is not turned on while in use, Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine meat inspection division director Rocky Lin said.

Owners of vehicles transporting pork or slaughtered pig parts would face fines from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000 under the Animal Industry Act for the same infractions, he said.

Taiwan amended animal transportation regulations in March to require GPS tracking. The council will continue to subsidize the installation of GPS trackers, as well as their mobile Internet fees for two years, Lin said.

Initially, the council set June as the start of the regulations, but delayed enforcement until August to allow for transporters to be compliant.

ASF has not yet been detected in North America. The disease is highly contagious among domestic and feral pigs but poses no human health risk. USDA and the pork industry have increased surveillance to protect the U.S. from entry of animal diseases, such as ASF.

Farm Journal’s PORK: African Swine Fever Resource Center

African Swine Fever Losses Take a Toll in China

Optimistic Outlook for U.S. Red Meat at Taiwan's Largest Food Show

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 05:04:17 GMT

Joel Haggard, the U.S. Meat Export Federation’s (USMEF) Hong Kong-based senior vice president for the Asia Pacific, just returned from Taiwan where he participated in Food Taipei, Taiwan’s largest food trade show. He shares observations from this rapidly growing market for U.S. red meat in the attached audio report.

Haggard notes that while Taiwan is a relatively small market for U.S. pork, exports are surging in 2019. Through April, U.S. pork shipments to Taiwan totaled 8,819 metric tons (mt), up 80% from the same period last year, while value increased 55% to $19.3 million.

U.S. lamb is fairly new to the Taiwanese market, having regained access in 2016. USMEF has outreach efforts planned this fall for chefs and other foodservice professionals interested in U.S. lamb.

Taiwan is a tremendous destination for U.S. beef, with exports in 2018 topping $500 million for the first time. At nearly 60,000 mt valued at $550 million, beef exports to Taiwan nearly doubled in volume and more than doubled in value over a period of just five years.

Haggard sees excellent opportunities for future growth in Taiwan, as U.S. beef’s presence continues to expand in both the restaurant and retail sectors. Listen to his audio report below: