Where do 120,000 tonnes of imported pork go every year? You can find it in pork trotter rice, braised pork intestines, pork chops, dumplings and meat buns

Text by Yang Yuyun and Lin Yijun, reporters for Upstream and Downstream

The government will open the door to imports of US ractopamine pork (pork produced with lean meat powder) from New Year's Day next year, triggering a backlash from pig farmers and consumers. Although the government says imported pork does not taste as good as Taiwanese pork, that it is not worried about competition, and that clear labelling will be required to protect the public's right to know. Yet even before ractopamine pork clears customs, Taiwan already imports nearly 120,000 tonnes of pork (including offal) every year, made into products such as pork trotter rice, braised pork intestines, dumplings and meat buns, and most people in the country cannot tell the difference.

Once US ractopamine pork is imported in future, what foods might it be used in? The government says that from now on even street food stalls and night markets will have to label the meat source of pork products - is that realistic? Upstream and Downstream interviewed leading figures in the frozen meat and imported meat industry and people in the domestic pig industry to explain and analyse this in depth. At the request of interviewees, some names in this article are pseudonyms.

Taiwan imports about 120,000 tonnes of frozen pork a year; hind leg, shoulder and loin rank first, pig trotters second

According to statistics from the Council of Agriculture, domestic pork consumption is 900,000 tonnes a year. In 2019 about 118,060 tonnes of pork were imported, of which about 90,000 tonnes was frozen pork, while offal (large intestine ends, pork hocks) and similar accounted for more than 20,000 tonnes.

Statistics show that imported pork has risen year by year, nearly doubling since 2010. The largest category by share is "frozen boneless pork hind leg meat, shoulder meat, tenderloin, loin and cuts thereof", with imports of 52,049 tonnes in 2019. This type of meat can be made into pork chops, minced pork and shredded pork, and can also be used to make pork thick soup, dumplings, meat buns and the like.

Second is "frozen pig trotters (including front and hind leg hocks and shank meat) and diaphragm", with imports of 19,000 tonnes, which can be used for braised pork hocks, pork trotter rice and various other foods.

Imported pork is more than 30 percent cheaper than domestic pork, and US pork hind leg meat is even cheaper

Our country's top three sources of frozen pork imports (including offal) are Canada, the United States and Spain. The average import price of Canadian frozen pork (excluding offal) is 61.28 yuan per kilogram (the largest imported cuts are hind leg meat, tenderloin, shoulder and loin; our tariffs do not distinguish between cuts, so the price is calculated as a composite).

However, according to information provided by the domestic pig farming industry, Taiwan's current bulk wholesale price for hind leg meat is about 110 yuan per kilogram, tenderloin 100 yuan, and loin 140 yuan, a gap of nearly 30 to 40 percent against import prices (pork prices fluctuate with the seasons).

The import price of US pork last year was 78 yuan per kilogram. However, according to pork prices published by the US Department of Agriculture, converted to the landed price in Taiwan (including tariffs and freight), it is 62.87 yuan per kilogram. Hind leg meat (hams, excluding loin) is even cheaper: at the low point the price converted to Taiwan dollars is only about 35 yuan per kilogram (including tariffs and freight), and at the high point about 50 yuan per kilogram, a gap of more than 50 percent against Taiwan's hind leg meat price.

Imported pork is used for large intestine ends and pig trotter dishes, but offal is actually nothing to worry about

Mr Chen (pseudonym), a meat importer, says Taiwan's market is very shallow, and imports only make up for shortfalls in Taiwan's supply. Pork is a futures commodity, and the pull between demand and supply naturally causes price fluctuations. "Our principle for importing is very simple: we just look at whether there is domestic demand and whether the imports are cheap." He gives pork hind leg and pork hock as examples: imported pig hind leg is made into pork trotter rice, and imported pork hock is one of the familiar faces of Chinese New Year dishes. "Imported pork hock is 30 or 40 yuan per kilogram cheaper than domestic," he says.

Taking the offal that people worry about as an example, Mr Chen says Taiwan's own production of pig liver and pig kidney (kidney) runs a surplus every year. "If 300 sets out of 1,000 can be sold, the meat trader is delighted; the rest all go to fish feed." So people need not worry that after New Year's Day next year pig liver and pig kidney will be mixed into the consumer market.

However, the Taiwanese-flavoured dishes people eat often - large intestine ends and pig trotters - have always been a major import. Large intestine ends (pig rectum) have wide uses, from spicy hot pot, blanched offal platters and wheat noodle threads to braised foods, as well as the famous "nine-turn fatty intestine", all use large intestine ends, and last year alone more than 6,000 tonnes were imported. Depending on domestic demand, manufacturers also occasionally import liver connective tissue (pig diaphragm).

Yuan Renqi, secretary-general of the Republic of China Livestock Meat Commercial Association, confirms that highway restaurants supplying group meals generally use low-priced ingredients, and imported pig trotters are one option. For consumers, the pig trotters and large intestine ends commonly seen in market braised food stalls are very likely to be cuts from imported pigs.