Herbicide Sprayed on Adzuki Beans 05"Glufosinate May Harm Fetuses and Is Neurotoxic, Banned by the EU, Yet No Tolerance Is Allowed for Imported Adzuki Beans, While Taiwan Opens It Up?
By Li Huiyi and Cheng Chieh-yi, reporters for News & Market
The government plans to allow the herbicide glufosinate to be used as a defoliant for adzuki beans, sparking controversy across all sectors, because it has reproductive toxicity that can affect fetal development. The EU banned it after July 2018 and required member states to plan a phase-out mechanism. None of our top five adzuki bean importing countries allow a tolerance for glufosinate either. Once Taiwan permits the use of glufosinate and sets a tolerance value of 2ppm, the standard will be looser than that of the importing countries.
According to information provided by official sources, Taiwan is very likely the only country in the world that uses glufosinate as a defoliant for harvesting adzuki beans and has specifically set a residue tolerance for it. In response, Chang Chih-lieh, director-general of the Wandan Township Farmers' Association in Pingtung County, Taiwan's largest adzuki bean production area, said that the production standards for domestically grown adzuki beans should not be lower than those of other countries. "Imported adzuki beans are cheaper than ours, and their production standards are higher than ours. How are domestic adzuki beans supposed to compete?"
Chang Chih-lieh, along with Chung Ching-hui, director-general of the Meinong District Farmers' Association, and Kuo Hua-jen, professor emeritus of the Department of Agronomy at National Taiwan University, called on the government to broadly incorporate opinions from all sectors, present international standards and professional data, and hold open discussions with industry players, experts and scholars.
Related Articles
- How to prevent and control rabies in dogs? Timely vaccination of puppies ensures safety
- How to Explore Keelung's Fishing Port Docks? Practical Tips for Picking Fresh Seafood
- The Slow Food movement advocates that how you eat matters more than what you eat, helping you eat your way to health
- How to Identify Inferior Cooking Oil? Key Points for Quality Control from Cultivation to Purchase
- Which agricultural activities require tax payment? The ranch court case clarifies the boundary of tax exemption
- Ractopamine, a lean meat agent, is banned; scientific pig farming to increase lean meat percentage is the right path
- Horizontal Windbreak Nets for Welsh Onion Cultivation in Winter Reduce Losses
- Top Ten Fungicides Ranking Released, a Useful Reference for Farmers Choosing Products