Taiwan to separate US beef from pork in ractopamine dispute

Taiwan will separate the permits for importing beef and pork if it decides to open its doors to ractopamine-fed meat from the United States, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

Referring to a set of guidelines announced by President Ma Ying-jeou to partially allow imports of beef containing the leanness-enhancer ractopamine, Steve Hsia, the ministry's deputy spokesman, said that "our policy is very clear." "The guidelines include: A safe level of ractopamine in beef; separating the permits for importing beef and pork; clearly labeling beef imports; and excluding imports of internal organs," he said in a routine press conference.