Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2017-02-20

Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien says farmers would be compensated if the government decided to lift a ban on US pork products laced with ractopamine. Lin was speaking Monday in a radio interview.

Taiwan has imposed a comprehensive ban on ractopamine, saying that the leanness-enhancing food additive poses health risks.

Lin said the government will prioritize the rights of pig farmers and consumers. But he admitted that lifting the ban is not only a food safety issue, but also a political one.

Given that the domestic market for Taiwan’s livestock, fishing and agricultural industries is fairly small, Lin said the government has been under pressure to compromise.
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