台灣: 公佈日本進口食品規定的新內容

A few weeks ago the NHK News on-line reported the following:

台湾 日本食品輸入規制の新たな内容を公表

4月16日 21時21分

台湾の衛生当局は、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所の事故を受けて、すでに行っている福島など５つの県からの食品の輸入停止に加え、宮城や岩手など特定の地域から輸入される水産品など一部の食品に、放射性物質の検査を義務づけるなどとする、新たな規制の内容を公表しました。

台湾の衛生当局は福島第一原発の事故のあと、福島、茨城、栃木、群馬、千葉の５つの県で生産された食品の輸入を停止していますが、今月１３日に日本からの輸入食品に対する規制をさらに強化する方針を示し、１６日にその内容を公表しました。
それによりますと、宮城、岩手、東京、愛媛の１都３県の魚などの水産品のほか、静岡、愛知などの茶類、それに宮城などの乳幼児向け食品など、特定の地域から輸入される一部の食品について、新たに放射性物質の検査を義務づけるとしています。
また、日本から輸入されるすべての食品に、都道府県ごとの産地証明の添付を求めています。衛生当局はこの新たな規制を、来月１５日から実施するとしています。
台湾では先月、輸入を停止している日本の５つの県で作られた加工食品の一部が流通していたことが分かり、消費者団体などから新たな規制の導入を求める声が強まっていました。
これに対して日本側は、食品の安全は確保されているとして、台湾側に対し科学的根拠に基づいた対応を求めていく考えです。
日本の関係者の間では、規制の強化によって日本の農林水産物や食品が割高になり、競争力を失うことなどを懸念する声が出ています。

(試翻譯)

Noting the accident at the Tokyo Electric Power Number One Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Taiwanese health authority, on top of stopping food coming from Fukushima etc. five prefectures that was already in place, now demanded obligatory radioactive checking on materials imported from some specific area on certain food, such as marine items etc. from Miyagi and Iwate. The content of the new regulation was already published.

The Taiwanese health authority had suspended the importing of food produced by five prefecture of Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba after the accident in Number One Fukushima nuclear power plant. But on the 13th this month (April) a policy to strengthen further regulations on importing food from Japan was disclosed and the content was published on the 16th.

In addition to marine items such as fish etc. from the three prefectures and one capital: Miyagi, Iwate, Tokyo and Aichi, it was supposed that checks on radioactive materials would be required for tea items from Shizuoka Ehime, and also for infant food from Miyagi: new checking for radioactive material on certain food imported from some area was mandatory.

Also, for all the food imported from Japan, an attachment of a certificate of origin issued by individual prefecture would be required. It was assumed that this new regulation would be put into effect by the health authority starting from the 15th next month.

In Taiwan last month it was found out that some of the imported processed food in circulation was made in the five suspended Japanese prefectures. The voice from consumer organizations asking for the introduction of new regulations was strengthened.

In response to that, on the Japanese side it was assumed that food safety would be secured. Regarding the Taiwanese side there was the idea to ask them to rely on scientific basis in making a response.

Among the related Japanese people the voice of worry had come out. Because of the enforcement of the concerned regulations, Japanese marine, agricultural and forestry product together with food products would become expensive and lose the competitive power.

   I hope the regulations could better protect the health of the Taiwanese people.