Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Pork Featured Articles

Better Pork magazine is published bimonthly. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Taiwan's beef about Ractopamine in pork

Monday, December 3, 2012

Taiwan agreed in July to set a maximum residue limit of 10 parts per billion (ppb) of growth promoter Ractopamine in imported beef cuts from the United States, and imports began in September. The limit for the same drug in pork is zero. What gives?

Economic policy analyst Ross Korves, in a recent column published in the Truth About Trade and Technology, wrote that "most of Taiwan's pork consumption comes from domestic production, but only a small amount of beef is produced locally. "

Use of Ractopamine, first approved for sale by Eli Lilly in the United States 10 years ago, remains controversial. In July, the Codex Alimentarius Commission in Rome set a 10 ppb limit following a very close (69-67) vote.  (The limit in the United States is 30 ppm.) The Codex was created by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization in 1963 to set food standards and codes of practice that contribute to the safety of food trade, according to Korves.

Taiwan is Canada's tenth largest export market, with sales worth $54.25 million in 2010, up 211 per cent from 2007, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The United States sold about the same amount of pork there in 2010. BP

Current Issue

June 2025

Better Pork Magazine

Farms.com Swine News

Calf Auction Raises Funds for Youth

Monday, June 30, 2025

Wyatt Westman-Frijters from Milverton won a heifer calf named Ingrid through a World Milk Day promotion by Maplevue Farms and a local Perth, Ontario radio station. Instead of keeping the calf, 22-year-old Westman-Frijters chose to give back to the community. The calf was sent to the... Read this article online

Expert Gopher Help for Farmers

Friday, June 27, 2025

With gopher populations increasing across Saskatchewan, many landowners are struggling with crop loss and land damage. These rodents not only reduce crop yields but also create dangerous conditions for livestock. In response, the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF), supported by the... Read this article online

Cattle Stress Tool May Boost Fertility

Friday, June 27, 2025

Kansas State University researchers have developed a cool tool that may help reduce cattle stress and improve artificial insemination (AI) results. The idea came from animal science experts Nicholas Wege Dias and Sandy Johnson, who observed that cattle accustomed to their environment... Read this article online

Ontario pasture lands get $5M boost

Friday, June 27, 2025

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $5 million to strengthen shared community grazing pastures. This funding supports the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s agriculture sector and help cattle farmers improve pasture quality, ensuring long-term sustainability and... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top