No Executive Yuan version, DPP legislators refuse to review the esophageal law

The "Food Sanitation Management Act Amendment Bill" related to the opening of American beef with ractopamine was reviewed for the first time by the Legislative Yuan's Health and Environment Committee this morning on the 29th. A total of 17 versions were proposed, including proposals from the Democratic Progressive Party caucus, the People First Party caucus, and other legislators, but the Executive Yuan version was missing. The Democratic Progressive Party legislators attending the meeting tied "Oppose Clenbuterol" protest banners on their heads, spoke loudly during the procedural speeches, and even occupied the podium, opposing the review of the bill in the absence of the Executive Yuan version.

Democratic Progressive Party legislators occupied the podium of the Health and Environment Committee, emphasizing that they refused to review the Esophageal Law before the Executive Yuan version was sent to the committee. (Photography by Zhang Yawen)

DPP legislator Chen Ting-fei said that the Executive Yuan announced the policy direction of clenbuterol in the middle of the night, but has not yet submitted a version. She questioned: "The so-called separation of cattle and pigs and safety allowance, is the Executive Yuan telling the truth or a lie?" Legislator Tian Qiujin also said that Premier Chen Chong promised a few days ago to submit a version to the Legislative Yuan within ten days. If it is hastily reviewed today, or even sent the bill out of the committee and directly submitted to the government and opposition for consultation and voting, she criticized: "This kind of black box operation is irresponsible!"

Taiwan Solidarity Union legislator Lin Shijia questioned whether convener Cai Jinlong's temporary change of agenda, changing the original inspection schedule to a bill review, was because the Kuomintang's top leaders demanded a quick review and decision on the ractopamine issue. She repeatedly asked, "Was it the boss's order?" Democratic Progressive Party legislator Zhao Tianlin pointed out that the 17 legislators from both the ruling and opposition parties almost all required zero detection of ractopamine in their proposals for the Esophageal Act. He believed that this was the biggest consensus in Taiwan and emphasized that the Legislative Yuan would not be downgraded to a "Legislative Council" and would refuse to review the issue before the Executive Yuan version was sent in.

Cai Jinlong, convener of the Health and Environment Committee, said that the agenda was changed because the customs and downstream businesses were unwilling to cooperate with the inspection. He said that two public hearings had been held on the issue of American beef and a general discussion had been conducted. The last committee also requested to discuss the Esophageal Law item by item. He believed that changing the agenda was reasonable, but when the meeting began to be reviewed, it was surrounded by Democratic Progressive Party legislators who occupied the podium and was forced to be interrupted.