Taiwan psychiatrist warns of ractopamine-related health risks

台灣精神科醫生警告萊克多巴胺對健康做造成的風險

Country’s move to lift US pork import ban sheds light on risk of ractopamine use


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese psychiatrist has warned about the long-term effect of ractopamine as the government scrambles to downplay the health risks associated with the feed additive after its move to lift import bans on American pork.

β-adrenergic agonists (βAA) for in-feed administration to cattle have been proven to be detrimental to animals, said Su Wei-shuo (蘇偉碩), a clinical psychiatrist in Taiwan, citing a study published in 2014. Ractopamine, a feed additive that promotes leanness, is a type of βAA.

The research found that animals administered the βAA have an incidence rate of death 75 to 90 percent higher than those that were not given the drug. Meanwhile, 40 to 50 percent of deaths from the administered group were attributed to the intake of βAA.

The Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) administration has maintained that ractopamine-laced pork from the U.S. has a limited effect on humans based on the decision by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 2012 to narrowly approve the adoption of a maximum residue limit of 10 ppb of ractopamine. Not only is the Codex decision contentious, but the Taiwanese authorities have also failed to take into account the latest studies pointing to the risks of the additive, Su claimed.

The doctor pleaded with the government to halt the removal of the import restrictions until more debate based on scientific evidence can take place.

To allay public concerns, the Council of Agriculture (COA) has proposed to tighten the regulation of βAA, prohibiting its manufacture, import, sale, or display domestically. Violators will be fined up to NT$300,000 (US$10,220), with their?names disclosed; multiple-time offenders will face a penalty of NT$2.5 million.