Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-31
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As protests raged around the Legislative Yuan in Taipei Tuesday, the Chiayi City Council banned pork containing residues of the leanness drug ractopamine, becoming the first local area to do so.

Vague allegations surfaced over the past month that the new government of President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Lin Chuan would allow the import of pork from the United States containing the residues in return for membership of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

As Lin was to present his first official government report to the Legislature Tuesday morning, about a thousand protesters gathered outside and tried to storm the building. Inside, Kuomintang lawmakers tried to prevent Lin from mounting the stage.

In the meantime, city councilors in Chiayi approved a proposal to amend local food safety regulations in order to allow only the sale of pork showing a zero ractopamine level.     [FULL  STORY]