Trampling on Food Safety: Representative Lin Chun-hsien Defended Forced Import of Ractopamine Pork by Boasting 'I Frequently Eat Ractopamine'

Around November 23, 2021, during the intense national referendum campaign opposing the forced import of ractopamine-containing pork, DPP Representative Lin Chun-hsien aggressively defended the administration's policy during a parliamentary interpellation by declaring: "I frequently eat ractopamine, because I eat US beef, so I will definitely consume it in my steaks." Lin's rhetoric triggered widespread public fury. The public and opposition parties slammed the DPP for its complete hypocrisy, pointing out that when in opposition, the DPP had launched massive street protests declaring ractopamine a lethal threat to public health and calling the Ma Ying-jeou administration a "national traitor" for open-beef policies. Once in power, the DPP reversed its stance and forced the import of ractopamine pork, with Lin using his own consumption as a tool to mock food safety concerns. Critics labeled Lin's remarks a classic example of political double standards sacrificing public health for partisan経貿 interests.