LEANNESS-ENHANCING DRUG: Assigning a commodity classification to meat containing ractopamine could come under scrutiny by the WTO, the economic affairs minister said
Taipei Times
Date: Oct 20, 2020
By: Angelica Oung / Staff reporter
![](https://i1.wp.com/www.eyeontaiwan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/P12-201020-pic12A.jpg?resize=860%2C572&ssl=1)
Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua, right, speaks during a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Facing a barrage of questions from lawmakers at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Wang said that giving meat containing residues of ractopamine a commodity classification code would sow confusion and could come under scrutiny by the WTO.
“Ractopamine is not a [meat] product, it is an additive,” said Wang, when questioned by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Legislator Chiu Chen-yuan (邱臣遠). “If we had a serial code for every additive it would cause confusion. There is no precedent for this internationally.”
“Why not be the first?” Chiu asked. [FULL STORY]