In October, 2009 the Taiwanese government and the US government reached a bilateral trade agreement that would allow the importation of US beef back into Taiwan. Now it appears that some US beef will remain banned from importation to Taiwan.The Taiwanese government reversed course on the agreement and amended the Food Sanitation Act on January 5, 2010 to ban US ground beef and offal. Additionally, as the Wall Street Journal reports, the government also agreed to ban the importation of beef from cattle older than 30 months.
The US Department of Agriculture and US Trade Representative issued a joint statement following the decision calling it “‘a unilateral violation of a bilateral agreement[.]”’ The agencies also said the decision was not based on sound science.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (AR) issued this statement following the vote, “I am severely disappointed by Taiwan’s decision to impose restrictions on imports of certain U.S. beef products, effectively reversing the agreement on this matter reached between the governments of the United States and Taiwan last October. . . With this action, Taiwan has chosen to disregard sound science, therefore forcing us to question our ability to depend on them as a reliable trading partner. . . This decision represents a serious setback in the U.S.-Taiwan trade relationship.”
Taiwan first banned US beef in December 2003 following the first case of mad cow disease in the US. It remains to be seen what action, if any, the US government will take following this vote with regards to the US-Taiwan trade relationship.
To read the joint USDA, USTR news release click here.
To read the release from Chairman Lincoln click here.
To read the story by Reuters in the Wall Street Journal click here.
Posted: 01/06/10
