Dear President Ma:
We are writing to express our deep concern regarding continued Taiwanese barriers to U.S. agricultural products. As supporters of Taiwan, we are concerned that mounting trade barriers could undermine the U.S.-Taiwan economic relationship.U.S. agricultural producers face an array of barriers to American farm products inTaiwan. Nearly five years ago, Taiwan’s Department of Health (DOH) banned importsof American beef because of concerns about bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE).Since that time, the United States has adopted comprehensive control measures for BSEand the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) has determined that all cuts of American beef, from animals of all ages, are safe. While Taiwan has resumed importing boneless beef from cattle under 30 months of age, it still has not complied with the OIE’s findings to accept all U.S. beef.
Taiwan also restricts imports of U.S. pork due to spurious and non-scientificconcerns about ractopamine. Ractopamine has been approved for use in the United States since 1999 and is registered for use in 26 countries. The Codex Alimentarius,which sets international standards for food safety, has established draft maximum residuelimits (MRLs) for ractopamine. Although DOH notified the WTO that it was prepared to adopt the draft Codex MRL for ractopamine in August 2007, it later reversed its decision in response to protests by Taiwanese farmers opposing imports of U.S. pork. We are concerned that Taiwan’s de facto ban on U.S. pork containing traces of this feed additiveremains in place, despite the lack of scientific evidence to support this ban.
We were proponents of Taiwan’s accession to the World Trade Organization(WTO). It is troubling that Taiwan is engaging in repeated abuses of food safety requirements designed to exclude U.S. agricultural imports from your market - actions that may violate WTO rules.
We urge Taiwan to immediately remove all barriers to American farm products, beginning with Taiwan’s non-scientific restrictions on U.S. beef and ractopamine-treatedpork. To maintain its status as a strong, consistent economic partner with the UnitedStates, Taiwan must treat U.S. products fairly.
Sincerely,
Max Baucus
Chairman
Charles Grassley Ranking Member
cc: Representative Jason Yuan, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office
Dr. Su Chi, Secretary General, Taiwan National Security Council
Source: Ranking Member’s News
