Taiwan - Taiwan finds illegal addictive in Australian beef

In the latest round of inspections, two samples of Australian beef and two samples of New Zealand beef tested positive for ractopamine, said the Department of Health yesterday. In addition, one sample of Australian beef tested positive for zilpaterol, a growth promoter more toxic than ractopamine.

In a round of inspections that ended March 11, health authorities tested 219 imported meat products nationwide for growth-promoting drugs. Ractopamine was detected in 36 samples.

Thirty-two of these imports are from the US, two from Australia, and two from New Zealand. Findings are pending confirmation, the DOH said yesterday.

In another sample of Australian beef, the DOH detected zilpaterol at the concentration of 0.88 parts per billion (ppb).

The sample came from the meat section of a Chiayi City PX Mart, according to Pan Jyh-quan of the DOH's Food and Drug Division.

Chiayi's local health bureau has requested that the supermarket take the Australian beef off its shelves while further investigations are under way, said Pan.

Zilpaterol is more toxic than ractopamine, said Lin Ja-liang, who heads the Department of Nephrology and Division of Clinical Toxicology at the Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.

At present, zilpaterol and ractopamine are both banned in Taiwan.

Despite controversy over US beef, consumers have largely assumed that Australian and New Zealand beef are free of leanness-enhancing drugs.

Conditional Permit Unviable: Consumers' Foundation

These findings show that the Executive Yuan's concept of “conditional” permission for ractopamine is not viable, said the Consumers' Foundation yesterday.

Earlier this month, the Cabinet said that Paylean — a growth-promoter for hogs — would remain banned even if ractopamine were allowed in beef.

But allowing ractopamine in any imported product is a break in the dam. Sensing vulnerability, industries are bound to try their luck to make a greater profit, said the CF's Joann Su yesterday.

It's difficult for the CF or the people to believe that growth promoters can be allowed in beef but effectively banned in pork, said Su.

Don't Jump to Conclusions: ACIO

The Australian Commerce and Industry Office said late yesterday that the government and consumers should not jump to conclusions over the origin of the tainted beef.

Australian beef has always enjoyed a good reputation — and for good reason, said the ACIO.

The country does not permit the use of ractopamine or other growth promoters in the livestock industry. Australia tests its own cattle and has found no ractopamine for the past nine years, according to the ACIO.

DOH Incinerates 7,490 kg of US beef

The DOH destroyed 7,490 kg of U.S. beef in an incinerator yesterday. All beef in the batch contained ractopamine, and one sample contained residue at a whopping 2.9 ppb, said Chen Li-chi of the Food and Drug Division.

The beef was seized between February and March from the Taipei-based importer Shusen Corp. The company was charged NT$13,917 to cover the cost of incineration.

Enru Lin

The China Post

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