U.S. beef inspection team returns to Taiwan and says beef imported should be safe

In response to the controversy over the safety of American beef, the beef safety inspection team that went to the United States completed its 23-day mission and arrived in Taiwan on the morning of the 27th. Chen Baoji, Chairman of the Council of Agriculture, personally went to meet them at the airport and gave a brief explanation at the airport. The Council of Agriculture pointed out that this inspection team traveled across seven states on the east and west coasts of the United States. According to the team's report, they affirmed the U.S. mechanism for monitoring mad cow disease and believed that beef imported to Taiwan should be safe. A detailed report will be fully released to the public at a separate press conference in early June.

Regarding the safety controversy of American beef, the beef safety inspection team that went to the United States ended its 23-day mission and arrived in Taiwan this morning. (Photo courtesy of the Council of Agriculture)

Huang Guoqing, deputy director of the Council of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, pointed out that in response to the United States announcing the fourth case of mad cow disease at the end of April, the government sent an inspection team to the United States on the 5th of this month to ensure the safety of American beef imported into Taiwan. Initially, the US side said that time was too tight and it could not fully cooperate in arranging the inspection itinerary. However, after much effort by our inspection team and the representative office in the US and multiple negotiations, the US side agreed to provide full assistance.

In addition to visiting government agencies and non-governmental organizations such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, national laboratories, the National Meat Institute and the Consumers Union, the U.S. beef inspection team also visited nine slaughterhouses, as well as feed mills, dairy farms, fattening farms and processing plants.

Map of the itinerary for the American beef inspection team. The Council of Agriculture pointed out that during this trip, the inspection team spanned a total of seven states on the east and west coasts of the United States. (Photo courtesy of the Council of Agriculture)

According to the inspection results of the inspection team, the U.S. beef production system implements mad cow disease prevention measures that comply with the standards of the United States and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), as well as the Taiwan-U.S. Beef Protocol and domestic food hygiene and safety-related operating standards. Therefore, beef imported into Taiwan should be safe.

Huang Guoqing pointed out that during this inspection, the US side sent officials and experts from the Ministry of Agriculture to accompany the whole process. During the inspection, they found that the method of removing cattle tongue tonsils at slaughterhouse No. 278 was flawed, and they immediately reported this to the US side, which also gave a positive response and suspended the export of beef produced by the slaughterhouse to Taiwan from May 25.

The Council of Agriculture emphasized that there has never been a record of American beef tongues being imported into our country, and the safety of our imported meat is not affected at all. As for the audit results, they show that the sensitivity of the U.S. mechanism for monitoring mad cow disease is at a 95% confidence level, and can detect a prevalence rate of at least one in a million, which is 10 times that recommended by the OIE. Representatives from industry, government, academia and consumer protection groups will be invited to discuss the audit report, and a detailed report will be fully explained to the public at a separate press conference in early June.