COA HAS ANIMAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF AMERICAN PORK|開放瘦肉精美豬?曹啟鴻證實正"風險評估"

A highly contentious issue for consumer health is the imports of American pork containing-leanness enhancing drugs. The Council of Agriculture Minister admitted that the government has been collecting data on the issue when pressured by legislators during the legislative interpolation. The minister said that animal risk assessment is now underway which was seen as the government's intent to open up imports for American pork. With last month's TIFA meeting between the US and Taiwan and the recent visit to Taiwan of the new AIT Chairman, James Moriarty, the issue of American pork containing leanness-enhancing drugs has come to the fore once again. During the legislative interpolation, Agriculture Minister Tsao Chi-Hung indicated that the government has started the assessments process. ==TSAO CHI-HUNG, COA Minister and HSU YUNG-MING, NPP Legislator== Do we have time (for animal risk assessment)? I don't know that. So it is already underway? When will the report be released? I don't have an answer for that right now. Who is in charge of the supervision? Vice premier. So he will review all the information and make decisions. Tsao's words were interpreted as the Tsai administration's readiness to open up imports of American pork. KMT legislators also censured Tsao before for saying that Taiwan pig farmers need to be prepared. Tsai's comments were criticized as "giving up without a fight". However, Tsao denied and said he will fight the pressure. Previously, during the Taiwan-Japan fishery talks, Taiwan allegedly agreed to lift the ban on importing food from the Fukushima nuclear disaster areas. ==TSAO CHI-HUNG, COA Minister== The Ministry of Health and Welfare will not risk the public's health, or would the Agriculture Ministry. This is a serious issue. ==LIN TZOU-YIEN, Health and Welfare Minister== We have no plans to lift the ban. If the ban is to be lifted, our job is to conduct the most stringent control. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that their top priority is to protect the public's health, and they have no plans to lift the ban. However, Tsao's reservation on giving a definitive answer still left people wondering. TRANSLATED BY：CHRISTINA LIU 台美TIFA上個月會議，加上近日到台灣訪問的AIT新任主席莫健，讓台灣是否開放含瘦肉精美豬進口，再度搬上檯面，農委會主委曹啟鴻上午到立法院備詢，面對立委一路逼問，鬆口表示開放瘦肉精美豬，已經在蒐集資料，動物風險評估也在進行中。 ==農委會主委 曹啟鴻 vs 時代力量立委 徐永明== (動物風險評估)有時間嗎 我還沒了解 所以已經在進行了 已經在進行了 是不是 那什麼時候(報告)會出來 那我現在不了解 我沒辦法來答覆委員 在你們部會之上的 那是誰在負責 據我曉得是(行政院)副院長 副院長在處理 所以資料彙整到他那邊 那邊在做決定 這番答覆，也被立委解讀，蔡政府是預告開放瘦肉精美豬。而國民黨立委更是重批曹啟鴻說過，要台灣豬農要有心理準備，根本是沒有向美方爭取就投降，曹啟鴻回籍立委說，對於瘦肉精豬肉，我可以挺得住。 此外，日前台日進行漁業對話，傳出台灣以開放福島核災食品年底解禁，做為換取漁權的籌碼。 ==農委會主委 曹啟鴻== 我想衛福部不會拿國人健康開玩笑 農委會也不會用這樣開玩笑 這個都是非常嚴肅的問題 ==衛福部長 林奏延== 本部是沒有 目前是沒有規劃 如果真解禁 本部的任務 也是一定在邊境跟市場 做最嚴謹的把關 儘管衛福部表示，以維護國民健康為最高原則，沒有解禁的相關規劃。但曹啟鴻語帶保留說，會不會開放，他沒有答案，仍引發外界想像空間。 記者 綜合報導