Taiwan government to pick up bill if U.S. beef leads to illness

In an effort to ease public concerns over U.S. beef containing ractopamine Taiwan Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta said the government will care for anyone who becomes sick after consuming ractopamine-containing U.S. beef.

The pledge is one of two resolutions made by Chiu for a bill concerning U.S. beef imports to pass. The second resolution requires the government to ban imports of U.S. beef if someone falls sick from eating the product, even if levels of ractopamine are within approved levels.

Focus Taiwan reports the resolutions will be proposed when a bill to revise the Act Governing Food Sanitation to allow a maximum residue limit (MRL) of drugs, including ractopamine, in meat clears the floor of the Legislative Yuan.

Chiu noted U.S. beef with approved levels of the residue is consumed by hundreds of millions of people in more than 20 countries and so far there have been no reported symptoms of illnesses related to ractopamine.

Legislation of the bill is on the agenda of the plenary session prior to summer recess beginning June 15.

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