TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan will destroy 54.02 million or more than a third of recently imported eggs as they reach their expiry date, Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said Saturday (Sept. 16).
After an outbreak of avian flu caused shortages, the government decided to import eggs from 12 countries. However, the policy recently became the focus of controversy after expiry dates were mislabeled and doubts arose about the qualifications of some importers.
At an impromptu news conference Saturday, Chen defended the policy, saying it had been successful in lowering prices for consumers while protecting the interests of farmers, the Liberty Times reported. From March to July, Taiwan imported 145 million eggs from seven countries to sell to the public or to process into other products, he said.
The imports helped to force down the black market price for eggs, but if too many eggs are released at once, it will harm farmers’ livelihoods, according to Chen. As a result, the Ministry of Agriculture found that 37.18% of the imported eggs, amounting to 54.02 million, had been damaged or reached their expiry date, leading to their destruction.
Chen put the value of the destroyed eggs at more than NT$200 million (US$6.27 million). He nevertheless described the import policy as having achieved its aims, namely making eggs cheaper for consumers, fighting inflation, and protecting the livelihood of farmers.