Zero-detection food safety law amendment passes preliminary review; Wang Jin-pyng says final decision to be made at plenary session
Editor's note:
The Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee gave preliminary approval to the food management law amendment concerning the lifting of the ban on ractopamine, passing the Democratic Progressive Party caucus's "zero detection" version on ractopamine, while the Executive Yuan's "safe tolerance" version was rejected. However, according to the Legislative Yuan's Rules of Procedure: for bills that the committees have resolved need no caucus negotiation, the second reading may, with the consent of the chamber, proceed directly according to the committee's review opinion without discussion. (Source: Taiwan Youth Alliance Against US Beef)
In other words, if the bill enters party negotiation, it does not necessarily have to follow the preliminary review conclusion, and the Executive Yuan version strongly promoted by the government may still pass.
(CNA reporter Ho Meng-kuei, Taipei, July 7) The Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee gave preliminary approval to the Democratic Progressive Party caucus's "zero detection" version on ractopamine. Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng said today that although the committee has given preliminary approval, the matter will only be finalized when the case is sent to the Legislative Yuan chamber for handling.
The Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee gave preliminary approval this morning to the draft amendment to certain articles of the Food Sanitation Management Act concerning ractopamine. By vote, it passed the Democratic Progressive Party caucus's "zero detection" version on ractopamine. But according to cross-party negotiation, the relevant articles are sent to the chamber for handling; how ractopamine will ultimately be regulated remains uncertain.
On the Executive Yuan's "safe tolerance" version failing to pass the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, Wang Jin-pyng said in an interview at noon, "There is no way around it now; if it (the DPP version) passed, it passed." However, he also said that cross-party negotiation will still be needed in the future, and this case "will only be finalized at the Legislative Yuan chamber."
As for whether the Executive Yuan's "safe tolerance" principle failing to pass the Legislative Yuan chamber in the future would affect Taiwan-US relations, he believed it is still too early to discuss this, "it is not yet finalized," and the final decision will only be made after the draft is handled by the Legislative Yuan chamber. 1010507
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