China News Network, May 5 Comprehensive Taiwan media reports, Taiwan's "Ministry of Health and Welfare Food and Drug Administration" announced on the 4rd that experts have been asked to evaluate the opening of "flonamide" and "Kefanpai" two pesticides can be used for strawberries, and the fastest two weeks online forecast, this move means that Japanese strawberries with excessive pesticides will be legal on the spot. After hearing this, strawberry farmers in Dahu Township, which produces the most strawberries on the island, resolutely opposed the lowering of testing standards, and criticized the "Food and Drug Administration" to break the pesticide norms that farmers have worked hard to establish in order to shoot Japanese, and where to put people's food safety?
The picture shows that the airborne Japanese strawberries were detected to exceed the pesticide flonidide. Image source: Taiwan's China Times.
For the import dispute of Japanese strawberries, Taiwan's "Food and Drug Administration" has taken batch-by-batch inspections more than once, but according to the market inspection results of various local health bureaus from January to February this year, a considerable number of Japanese strawberries have been tested for pesticide residues.
Strawberry farmers protested loudly, saying that for the sake of food safety, strawberry farmers in the Great Lakes strictly require all farmers to comply with recommended drugs and control high-standard pesticide residues. How to account for farmers who abide by the law?
The average area of strawberry cultivation in Dahu Township is about 500 hectares per year, and strawberry production accounts for more than 9% of Taiwan. Berry farmers emphasized that in order to maintain the safety of edible strawberries, strawberry farmers in Dahu Township, Shitan Township and other places have implemented strict pesticide use specifications with local agricultural associations, including the use of safe drugs recommended by agricultural associations, and strictly abide by the safety time after medication, etc., so that strawberries produced by Miaoli can meet the pesticide residue detection standards with multiple dosage specifications.
Yang Zhiliang, the "Director of Health" in front of the stage, said that the "Food and Drug Administration" did not stand on the front line of control, but actually helped to open up, which is quite strange. The place of export of the product should have made a safety guarantee to the place of import, but whenever there is a pesticide problem in Japanese strawberries, it is only handled by returning and destroying, can't it be prohibited by the production area?
Taiwanese media person Huang Yangming stressed in a program on the 3rd that whether it is Japanese strawberries or Canadian beef, it is really necessary to check well, and it cannot be because the election year is coming, and the pesticide standard will be opened in July. Host Wang Qianqiu said: The solution to food safety is to open pesticide standards! Can the authorities slow down and spare our people?
This is not the first such incident. In February 2022, the administrative agency of the Taiwan authorities announced the opening of the ban on nuclear food imports from five Japanese counties and cities that have been exported to Taiwan for more than 2 years. In September of that year, a batch of konjac powder from Gunma Prefecture, Japan, was tested to contain radiation.
In 2012, the Taiwan authorities decided to conditionally open the import of ractopamine-containing U.S. beef. In the past, the DPP strongly opposed the relaxation of import restrictions on US pigs and cattle, and immediately became a staunch defender of "Lai Pig" after coming to power. In August 2020, the DPP authorities announced the relaxation of import restrictions, and on the first day of the 8 New Year, the gift of "Lai Pig" was officially delivered to the Taiwanese people.