Lean-meat American pork forced open, sparking outrage from Yunlin pig farmers who blast the Council of Agriculture for having no support measures

Our country plans to open its borders to American pork containing the leanness-enhancing drug ractopamine (referred to as ractopamine pork), triggering strong backlash from pig farmers. Yunlin County, a major production area accounting for nearly 30% of the nation's pig herd, was the first to push back. Nearly 200 people, including pig farmers, cooperatives, and township farmers' associations, gathered at the Yunlin County Government today (the 31st) to hold a press conference and solemnly express their opposition.

Pig farmers harshly criticized the central government for disregarding the health of the people, and angrily denounced the Council of Agriculture for not communicating in advance and only "going down to the countryside to pat heads" after the policy was announced. They claimed they would roll out a 10-billion fund to support the industry, but with no concrete details. "They just want to stuff money in our mouths to shut us up. How could any pig farmer be willing to accept that?" said Jian Ming-chin, director-general of the Yunlin County Farmers' Association. He said pig farmers have no power to resist ractopamine pork imports, and can only urge the people to unite and save themselves, and call on restaurants and processing businesses to support domestic pork.

Although the Council of Agriculture claims American pork cannot match Taiwanese pork in taste and that there is no need to worry about competition, import data shows that of the 110,000 tonnes of imported pork, pig trotters account for nearly 20,000 tonnes. Importers say import prices fluctuate with the market, and recently there was a low price of 20 yuan per kilogram, at least 40-60 yuan cheaper per kilogram than domestic pork hock, while imported large intestine heads are mostly used for braised snacks and "black-and-white cuts" at snack shops. In other words, heavily flavored processed pork products are more likely to be replaced by cheap imported pork.

Yunlin Pig Farming Association: The current government once led pig farmers in opposing ractopamine, and now it says it will open up just like that

Taiwan currently has 5.51 million pigs, and Yunlin County accounts for 1.56 million of them, nearly 30% of the national total. The pig farmers present today all expressed anger at the central government's decision. Tsai Te-fu, director of the Yunlin County Pig Farming Association, and Lin Ming-chen, chairman of the Yunlin County Mailiao Pig Production Cooperative and director of the Republic of China Pig Farming Cooperative Union, jointly denounced it: "In the past marches over the ractopamine controversy, all of us here went, and it was the current government that led them. Now it says it will open up just like that. Pigs are our property. We pig farmers have the same demand as before: imported pork must have zero ractopamine detection!"

Hsu Yu-tsung, chairman of the Yunlin County Pig Farming Association, said the central government did not communicate in advance, and opening up to ractopamine pork without discussion was "a thoroughly unscrupulous act," and the association insists on opposing it to the end. Hsu said proposed support measures would continue to be relayed to the central government. When asked about the Council of Agriculture's visits to pig farmers over the past two days and whether there were details of the 10-billion fund support package, another operator from the Yunlin County Mailiao Pig Farming Cooperative said, "The Council of Agriculture coming to the countryside is just to pat heads. They haven't said anything concrete about the support measures at all. They just want to spend 10 billion to buy us off. Pig farmers will not accept it!"