Ministry of Agriculture sorry for egg labeling snafu

Ministry of Agriculture sorry for egg labeling snafu

2023-09-21

Two Taichung companies have been caught mislabeling their frozen liquid egg products. The products contained imported eggs, but were labeled as being entirely of Taiwanese origin. The companies said they were following Ministry of Agriculture guidelines for labeling. The ministry has apologized for failing to provide proper oversight.

Tu Wen-jane
Vice agriculture minister
Currently all of the liquid eggs are within their expiration date. Some are in the warehouses of the National Animal Industry Foundation, and haven’t been released into the market. All eggs, whether imported or liquid, should be handled in accordance with domestic regulations. Regarding the National Animal Industry Foundation’s misunderstanding of the rules, we at the Ministry of Agriculture shoulder full responsibility. Our faulty oversight has given rise to concerns in society. We are deeply disturbed and sorry.

Wang Hsu-chang
National Animal Industry Foundation deputy head
At the beginning there were differences in people’s understanding of “substantive transformation.” This led to the companies making mistakes in their labeling, giving raise to concerns in society. The National Animal Industry Foundation would like to apologize to the public.

The ministry said that the liquid eggs were mislabeled but otherwise safe to use. It said that the current stock and future imports would be directed to the food processing sector. As for imported shell eggs, in the event of a national shortage, they will be released to the market in their original packaging and tracked in accordance with FDA regulations.

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"實質轉型"認知有誤農業部針對督導不周道歉

2023-09-21

台中市查獲兩家蛋品廠商，混用進口蛋製造冷凍殺菌液蛋，產地卻標示為台灣，業者喊冤稱是依農業部規定辦理，農業部解釋因為對"實質轉型"的認知有錯，對於督導不周致歉。

[[農業部次長杜文珍]]
“目前液蛋都在有效期限內，而且有的是在畜產會監管倉庫中，並未流出市面。所有不管是進口雞蛋、液蛋，這些事情使用，都是應該依照國內規定辦理，對於畜產會這次在法規認知有落差部分，我們農業部責無旁貸，這次督導不周，造成社會上有些疑慮，我們深感不安也覺得很抱歉。”

[[中央畜產會代理執行長王旭昌]]
“一開始對於實質轉型認定的規定有所差別，造成業者在標示部分有誤，造成社會疑慮，中央畜產會對此向社會大眾致歉。”

雖然產地標示錯誤，但液蛋本身沒有問題，農業部表示，現有庫存和未來進口會先以加工為主。未來如果雞蛋缺口超過10%，需要有殼蛋進口，會直接原盒上架，並配合食藥署追蹤流向。

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Lai Ching-te
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Lai Ching-te
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Lai said he would improve the working conditions of nurses, starting with staff in critical care. This would be done in the first two years of his term, he said. Lai also outlined a plan to upgrade Long-Term Care 2.0. Version 3.0 will offer more support to incapacitated patients, plus enhanced residential services and subsidies. It will also cover more older adults.

Lai Ching-te
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Of course, we will also encourage or provide incentives for long-term care service providers to set up locations in remote areas. In addition, our annual subsidy will go up from NT$60,000 to NT$120,000. In the future, it could gradually rise to NT$180,000, which is a monthly subsidy of NT$15,000.

Lai pledged to create a support system spanning patient homes, society, institutions, medical facilities, and social welfare networks. Also on Thursday, Lai’s rival Ko Wen-je held his own press event on social welfare programs. Ko took issue with Long-Term Care 2.0, saying that its budget was insufficient.

Lai Ching-te
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Whether it was President Tsai or President Ma who put in more effort and did more for long-term care – the answer is obvious. If there’s anybody out there who wants to criticize the current long-term care program, fire away. I am ready to do the work. I will roll up my sleeves to deliver Long-Term Care 3.0.

A confident Lai said he was ready to take action. The doctor-turned-politician vowed to safeguard Taiwan’s health, to use his expertise and achievements to earn public support.

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Taoyuan forges sister-city ties with Philippines’ Angeles City

Taoyuan has a new sister city: the City of Angeles in the Philippines. The two cities’ mayors held a virtual signing ceremony on Wednesday. Angeles City is the 35th in the world to enter such a partnership with Taoyuan. The two sides plan to work together in areas including airport cities, logistics, technology, trade, culture, and tourism, opening a new chapter in city-to-city exchanges.

Taoyuan Mayor Chang San-cheng strikes a pose with the mayor of Angeles City, who appears onscreen. The two mayors signed a sister-city agreement on Wednesday, preparing gifts to mark the friendship.

Mayor Chang prepared an acrylic painting by Mario Subeldia, a Filipino artist in Taiwan. The work depicts Taoyuan International Airport and Clark International Airport in Angeles City. An airplane in the top right symbolizes the direct flights linking the two cities and their steadfast friendship.

Meanwhile, Angeles City’s mayor presented the “keys to the city”: a wooden sculpture made by a local artist and micro-enterprise supported by his city’s government. Angeles City has a rich cultural heritage, vibrant food scene, and electrifying entertainment options. It’s a place where history, culture and tech come together.

Angeles is Taoyuan’s 35th sister city. As both cities have international airports, they hope to collaborate on developing aerospace technology in the Asia-Pacific region, to create a trans-Pacific aviation technology smart city.

Vicenta Vega-Cabigting
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Thank you Mayor Chang San-cheng, for recognizing our presence today, albeit remote. Let us make this partnership a catalyst for development in our cities. Thank you! Mabuhay! Xie xie!

Chang San-cheng
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The two cities have very complementary aspects in industry, culture and nature. We hope the sister-city agreement will allow us to draw from each other’s strengths in these complementary areas.

The mayors expressed hope for an enduring friendship between the new sister cities, one with more frequent exchanges and even stronger ties.

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Controversy as Taipei plans Nuit Blanche that’s bigger and bolder than ever before

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It’s that time of year again. Nuit Blanche Taipei 2023 will launch at sunset on Oct. 7. This year the nocturnal celebration of art is coming to Xinyi Commercial District for the first time.

On the night, the debate chamber of Taipei City Council will transform Into a live theater, open to the public. The office of Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an蔣萬安 will be occupied by Mayor Mao貓 and used for a livestream. Meanwhile the city hall debate chamber will become a live music venue with a dance floor.

Lin Yi-hua
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The event is from Saturday evening to Sunday morning. So I think it will not impact the operation of public duties, so to speak. Especially because the location to be used is on the first floor, at the edge of the city hall, so if any of our staff need to work overtime, I think they won’t be too much affected if they’re upstairs.

The three main locations for nighttime revelry are Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Taipei City Hall and Taipei City Council. But there are also connected events at nearby Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Taipei 101 and the whole of Xinyi Commercial District. The night’s installation art and performances attracted more than 460,000 visitors last year. This year, with events in Xinyi, even greater crowds are expected.

Hung Chien-yi
DPP Taipei councilor
These residential households are, in principle, generally quiet, apart from every year at New Year’s Eve. They’re not generally welcoming of other events which would disturb their daily life. Chiang Wan-an, it’s great that you want to hold this event, and we respect that. But if you create disturbance for the public, in the end Taipei City government will have to take the blame. I hope you will plan it carefully.

Lin Yi-hua
Taipei deputy mayor
Actually the events are mainly clustered in the commercial district. We’re loathe to cause people any disturbance, so at the cinema on Ren’ai仁愛 Road, we’ll invite people to listen to music on headphones.

Taipei City is hoping it can pull out all its organizing expertise, and create a night that’s bright as day for those who want it, but quiet and restful for everyone else.

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2 hikers dead and 9 injured after getting stung by hornets in New Taipei trail

Two hikers died and another nine were injured after getting stung by hornets at a mountain trail in New Taipei’s Ruifang District. Experts say it’s likely that the group was stung by the Asian hornet, whose venom can trigger severe allergic reactions. The hornet nest has yet to be found. For now, the New Taipei government has closed off all access routes to the hiking path.

Twenty hikers were on a trip in New Taipei’s Ruifang District when they were attacked by a swarm of hornets.

After examining the wounds, a hornet expert determined the group had fallen victim to the Asian hornet. The encounter left seven hikers with mild injuries, two with severe injuries, and two others dead.

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A hornet stung one of the hikers, who then tried to ward them off using a hand fan. Then the hornets began targeting the hiker, more and more started showing up. We ran off. The people in front rushed away, but several people in the back got strung. They ended up lying on the ground, maybe because of the stings or because they tripped. Later over the phone they said more than 100 hornets had attacked four people. It was terrifying.

Witness
Someone got stung. They said it hurt, and they weren’t sure what it was, so they tried to wave it off.

A sting from an Asian hornet can cause severe injury and death in humans. A protein in the hornet’s venom combines with a protein in the human body, potentially triggering a strong allergic reaction. In severe cases, the reaction doesn’t stop at the skin. The venom can cause swelling inside the body, making it difficult to breathe and inducing kidney and liver inflammation. It can even result in immediate death.

Yang Shu-fang
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The Ruifang District office has closed off all six access routes to the trail. Hornets do tend to be more aggressive in autumn. We have urged the general public to not go to hard-to-reach areas in the outskirts and to not enter grassy or forested areas, as that’s where hornets tend to gather in the fall season.

The New Taipei government has shut the six entrances to the Bafenliao Hiking Trail. It says that autumn is hornet breeding season, and as such the insects may be more aggressive. To reduce chances of attack, hikers are advised to not wear bright colors or perfume. If a hornet approaches, trying to swat it away could result in a painful attack.

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Councilors discussed recent disasters, including the sinking of several Dazhi apartment buildings and the repeated occurrence of sinkholes. They urged the city government to take preventative action ahead of potential disasters.

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Saxony launches office in Taiwan to foster science and tech ties

The German state of Saxony has opened an office in Taiwan, to pave the way for TSMC’s semiconductor project in its capital. The Saxon Science Liaison Office Taiwan will help recruit talented Taiwanese youth and foster further scientific and technology collaboration. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details.

Located inside the German Trade Office, the Saxon Science Liaison Office Taiwan has officially opened. The office will facilitate science and technology exchanges between Taiwan and Saxony, which is Europe’s semiconductor manufacturing hub. Dr. Josef Goldberger will serve as the office’s liaison officer. The office will be a service center for exchange students from Taiwan and Saxony. It will also be the hub of a new TSMC training program.

Sebastian Gemkow
Saxony’s state minister for science, culture and tourism
This is very important for us because this will also be a point of exchange between students from Taiwan and Saxony. But it will also be a very important hub for the admisnitation of programs of which we will speak about later on at TSMC. It is a very important spot here.

Dr. Josef Goldberger
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I was working for the German Academic Exchange Service for the last six years. We will have real cooperation with different partners not only industry partners. I will be able to represent of course Dresden University of Technlogy and all the other research institutions and education institutions in the free state of Saxony. I think this is a very exciting task.

TSMC plans to set up a factory in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Responding to a reported “culture clash” at TSMC’s fab in Arizona, Saxony’s science minister Sebastian Gemkow said that it doesn’t shake his confidence in working with TSMC. He said that Germans and Taiwanese share a similar work ethic.

Sebastian Gemkow
Saxony’s state minister for science, culture and tourism
I don’t have any doubts that being together with people from Taiwan. I think that the working ethic is very similar. People are disciplined like in Germany as well. This working culture is very similar. And of course, we will also prepare everything to make it most convenient for people coming to Saxony to Dresdin that they find some kind of community and some kind of ecosystem which makes them feel comfortable so I don’t have any doubts.

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TU Dresden has a private economy arm which is TUDAG, and they are developing a special cultural special on-boarding program for the TSMC professionals to come and do the startup for the company. So we are very optimistic that this will work quite well.

TU Dresden, or the Dresden University of Technology, is one of the largest universities of technology in Germany. It will manage operations at the liaison office on behalf of all Saxon higher education institutes. It is estimated that 50 students from Germany will be sent to Taiwan universities every year to study and intern at TSMC.

Dr. Ursula Staudinger
TU Dresden president
This is a historical moment. We are opening our first science liaison office abroad here in Taipei. TUD is doing this as the coordinating university for all the Saxon universities. We will be signing the trilateral agreement between TSMC, the free state of Saxony, and TUD. It is really about, on the one hand, getting more and more engineering and natural sciences students interested in the sphere of semiconductors. And what we were discussing was getting into research cooperation.

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Taiwanese company TSMC decided to go to Germany with a great investment, a comprehensive investment in the city of Dresden. What we will see now, that it is not just the industrial cooperation that will intensify between Germany and Taiwan, but this will be matched by the intensification to academic cooperation. This goes hand in hand. For that reason, I think it is a wonderful location to have this office here with the chamber. The office which is related very closely to the numerous German companies in Taiwan. Many of them are also active in the sector of semiconductors.

With the launch of the office ahead of TSMC’s Dresden project, the two countries hope to further strengthen education, science, and technology collaboration between Taiwan and Germany.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-09-21