Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency on Friday condemned a South Korean TV news program that cast Taiwan’s tilapia farms in a negative light.
The show, which was aired Oct. 25 on South Korea’s Channel A, described conditions at tilapia farms in Taiwan as shoddy and insinuated that Taiwanese tilapia farmers overused antibiotics in raising the fish.
South Korean importers have reportedly suspended imports of tilapia from Taiwan following the broadcast, which has seriously affected sales of the fish and has dealt a blow to local fish farmers.
The Fisheries Agency said Friday that the content of the program was “biased and untrue,” adding that it will support local tilapia farmers in rebutting the false report and filing a lawsuit.
The agency said the TV program had set out with a preconceived stance that tilapia from Taiwan is of an inferior quality.
The Korean reporters for the program reportedly quietly inquired about tilapia farmers in Mailiao and Kuohu villages in Yunlin County, and improperly edited the film using footage of a small part of the tilapia farm.
“This kind of misinformation, along with the insinuations and blatant defamation have greatly hurt the industry, and stand in stark contrast to the recognition Taiwanese tilapia received in exports to the European Union, the United States and Japan,” the agency said.
The fisheries agency has asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to negotiate with South Korea on this matter.
It said that Taiwan produces around 70,000 tons of tilapia annually, 60% of which is exported to the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Exports to South Korea are mainly frozen fillets.
The agency said that Seafood Watch, a US-based advisory list, listed tilapia from Taiwan as a “good alternative” to the best choice on the list, and that 12 tilapia farms and two processing plants have received the certification from the aquaculture stewardship council program.
Meanwhile, Chen Bao-ji, minister of the Council of Agriculture, said in a legislative question-and -answer session Friday that it has asked South Korean media to visit tilapia farms to rectify the incorrect reports, adding that the tilapia industry in Taiwan is very competitive.
The Taiwan Tilapia Alliance has also asked the South Korea Mission in Taipei and its media stationed in Taiwan to visit tilapia farms in southern Taiwan Friday afternoon.
The Yunlin County government and tilapia farmers were unanimous in condemning the South Korean program. Yunlin Magistrate Su Chih-fen demanded that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodge protests and that the Council of Agriculture come up with contingency measures.
Wang Yi-shou, manager of Kuohu Fisheries Cooperative, said that a South Korean man visited him in mid-October, saying that he would buy tilapia and asked to see and film the production process. Wang said he agreed to the visit but did not agree to the filming because he was concerned about revealing trade secrets.
Wang said he later found the program contained a part of his processing plant, which suggested that the South Korean man had a mini video recorder hidden in his backpack.
In Seoul, a South Korean importer who asked for anonymity, said that tilapia sushi sold in cheap sushi shops in South Korea is mostly imported from Taiwan.
Tilapia normally lives in the sea, but Taiwan’s tilapia is raised in fresh water farms. That has increased the supply and led to a rise in South Korean imports, the importer said.
2013 WantChinaTimes.com