Taiwan's Parliament has reversed a food safety law to ban some U.S. beef imports, sparking an angry response from its biggest ally, the United States, which said the move undermined the island's credibility as a trading partner.
Last October, Taiwan said it would reopen its markets to U.S. bone-in beef as well as ground beef and offal, which includes parts such as cow brain. Under the bill given final approval in Parliament, imports of ground beef and cow offal will now not be allowed.
In a joint statement by USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Obama administration noted that the action by Taiwan's Parliament does not "have a basis in science and constitute a unilateral violation of a bilateral agreement concluded in good faith by the U.S. with Taiwan a little over two months ago. The protocol was negotiated on the basis of the guidelines laid out by the World Organization for Animal Health (the OIE), as well as the findings of Taiwan's own risk assessment, which concluded that all U.S. beef and beef products are safe."
And, the two agencies added, "The decision by Taiwan authorities to place domestic politics over science raises serious concerns. This action will also undermine Taiwan's credibility as a responsible trading partner and will make it more challenging for us to conclude future agreements to expand and strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties."
Taiwan's handling of the issue has caused confusion for U.S. beef exporters in their sixth-largest market by value, worth $114 million as of the end of October compared to overall U.S. exports valued at $14.5 billion for the first 10 months of last year.
"This action also undermines Taiwan's credibility as a responsible trading partner and will make it more difficult for us to conclude future agreements to expand and strengthen bilateral trade and economic ties going forward," the U.S. statement said.
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