TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The United States rose to become Taiwan’s third-largest source of pork imports despite fears of the leanness agent ractopamine, reports said Thursday (Oct. 5).

Following years of protests and pressure from the U.S., Taiwan allowed the import of pork showing residues of ractopamine from Jan. 1, 2021. Despite public concern, the U.S. climbed past Denmark, the Netherlands, and France to become No. 3 on the list of Taiwan’s sources for pork, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported.

From the start of 2023 until Oct. 3, Taiwan imported 32,900 metric tons of pork from Canada, 21,000 tons from Spain, and 10,430 tons from the U.S. Only last year, the U.S. featured at No. 7, exporting 922 metric tons to Taiwan compared to 44,000 tons for Spain.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted that tests on the U.S. pork had not shown any ractopamine residues at all. In addition, 80% of the pork consumed in Taiwan was produced locally, the report said. The share of local pork has fallen from 88% in 2021.

Recent shifts are partly the result of the war in Ukraine, with the supply from European countries in decline as their pork grows more expensive, hog farmers said. The cost of raising pigs in Taiwan had also increased, making the import of U.S. pork more attractive.