Government considers Fukushima foodstuff imports / 衛福部今立院報告 日核災區食品恐解禁　　　　　　　　　　

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will give a report at the Legislative Yuan today on the safety of food products from Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster zone. It is reported that the content will include radiation reports on food products from all over Japan, which say that 99.8 percent of products reached standards for nine months this year. The reports has lead to suspicions that the MOHW wants to open Taiwan up to these imports. Officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Council of Agriculture made a survey visit to Japan in August. On Nov. 7 they will report to the Legislative Yuan on radiation in Japanese foodstuffs. It is said that they will use Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' 2015 monitoring data on agricultural radiation testing from five counties including Fukushima. Of over 260,000 items tested only 0.1% exceeded standards. The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare's website also showed results for national food radioactivity test, which for the first nine months of this year had a pass rate of 99.8%. The report also points out that Japanese stores have sold fresh agricultural products from five counties including Fukushima. It is suspected that this report is to pave the way for imports of food products from nuclear disaster areas. ==LEE YAN-HSIU KMT legislator== Once this opens up how we do check products? it requires a lot of staff. I think the easiest way is to continue to prohibit food imports from Fukushima.This is the safest method. Why should we take the risk? The new government has been in office less than six months and they make this hairpin bend in policy. It is unbelievable ! The Ministry of Health and Wlfare made no comment on this. On Nov. 7 it will make a case report to the Legislative Yuan. From March 2011 when the nuclear disaster took place Taiwan stopped imports from five Japanese counties including Fukushima. However, last year, it was reported that agents were purposely mis-labeling products from the area and in response the Executive Yuan required all Japanese products to be labelled with their point of origin and high-risk products from specific areas also had to to attach an additional radiation inspection certificate. As recently there has been an official dialogue on cooperation in marine affairs, this has triggered speculation that officials may have discussed a lifting of the ban on imports of food from the nuclear disaster areas. However, food safety experts and DPP at-large legislator Wu Kun-yu stressed that the tests would all be very strict. ==WU KUN-YU DPP at-large legislator== If the origin is marked clearly and correctly, and in Japan there is a double proof. The first is proof of radiation pollution that should be measured by Japan, but our customs are strict and measure again. So we can ensure that food contaminated by radiation will not enter Taiwan. However, in accordance with public opinion, most current opposition legislators are against the lifting of the ban on food products from Japan's nuclear disaster areas. Even if the government intends to lift the ban, it is likely it will encounter strong public opposition. TRANSLATED BY：CLARE LEAR 來自日本核災地區食品進口問題備受關注，衛福部與農委會今年8月前往日本勘查，並將在星期一前往立法院提出報告，傳出報告內容引用日本農林水產省2015年監測資料，福島五縣的農產輻射檢測，在26萬多件中只有0.1%超標，另外日本厚生勞動方網站的資料也顯示，「日本全國食品放射能檢測結果資料」，今年前九月合格率為99.8%。報告中還提到日本賣場都有販售福島等五縣的生鮮農產品，被外界質疑這份報告是否要為開放日本核災地區食品預先鋪路。 ==國民黨立委 李彥秀== 未來一旦開放 我們如何 編制大量的人力去稽查 我覺得最簡單的方法就是 還是禁止福島的核災食品進口 這是最安全的方法 我們為什麼要去冒這個險 新政府上任不到六個月 這個髮夾彎 這個政策轉彎的 實在讓人無法置信 衛福部對此沒有回應，只表示會在星期一向立法院提出專案報告，事實上我國在2011年3月日本核災發生後，就馬上暫停日本福島等五個縣市食品進口，不過去年竟然傳出代理商將核災地區產品的標籤，標示為非核災地區，所以政府決定所有日本食品都要附上產地證明，特定地區高風險產品要另外加附輻射檢驗證明，不過近日台日官方正舉行海洋事務合作對話，引發外界猜測是否會討論，解禁日本核災地區食品的進口，不過食安專家、民進黨不分區立委吳焜裕強調各項嚴格檢驗是絕對不能少。 ==民進黨立委 吳焜裕== 如果產地能夠明確 確認它的正確性 再來就是日本他會有雙證明 第一個就輻射汙染的證明 日本應該有測過 但我們海關再嚴格再確認一次 確保有輻射汙染的食品 不會進到台灣來 不過目前朝野立委在民意要求下，大多反對解禁日本核災地區食品，就算政府有意解禁，要如何通過強大民意壓力，恐怕還是一大問題。 記者 張志雄 張梓嘉 台北報導