Taiwanese lawmakers hurl pig intestines in parliament to protest against the government allowing imports of US pork with feed additive
Taiwan's lawmakers today protested against the government's decision on pork imports from the US by hurling pig organs inside the parliament.
Legislators from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party dumped buckets of pork offal on the debating chamber floor and then proceeded to hurl organs including intestines and hearts at their rivals.
The scene came after the Taiwanese government recently announced it would allow imports of US pork with a controversial feed additive banned in many parts of the world.
Legislators from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party dumped buckets of pork offal on the debating chamber floor and then hurled intestines, hearts, liver and other organs at their rivals
But Friday's scuffles were particularly novel as pictures show piles of pork intestines and other organs on the ground after the opposition lawmakers threw the parts at their rivals
Taiwan's notoriously rambunctious legislature frequently sees chaotic clashes between rival lawmakers.
In July, massive brawls broke out between Taiwanese politicians over a nomination for the head of a top government watchdog.
But Friday's scuffles were particularly novel as pictures show piles of pork intestines and other organs on the ground after the lawmakers threw the parts at their rivals.
Protesters are also seen demanding Premier Su Tseng-chang to step down while holding placards that read 'feed people with ractopamine pork' and 'Su Tseng-chang eats it first, I'm okay'.
Taiwan's lawmakers from the opposition party today have protested against the government's decision on pork imports from the US by hurling pig organs inside the parliament
Protesters are seen demanding Premier Su Tseng-chang to step down while holding placards that read 'feed people with ractopamine pork' and 'Su Tseng-chang eats it first, I'm okay'
From January 1, Taiwan will ease restrictions and allow pork fed with the additive ractopamine to be imported from the US.
The supplement, used to make animals grow heavier and leaner, is banned in places like the European Union and China.
Officials in Washington have made it clear restrictions on US pork and beef imports are a key stumbling block to the US and Taiwan signing a trade deal.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and her Democratic Progressive Party, which commands a strong majority in parliament, hope the easing of restrictions will pave the way for an agreement.
But many in Taiwan are opposed to US pork imports and the KMT have seized on the issue after a series of stinging electoral defeats.
Last weekend they joined tens of thousands in an annual labour rally, where opposition to pork imports was a major theme.
Last weekend, tens of thousands joined in an annual labour rally, where opposition to pork imports was a major theme. Protesters hold an inflated pig reading 'I am raptopamine pig' during a march to the Presidential Office Building in Taipei on November 22
Taiwan's powerful domestic pork industry also fears competition from the US.
The DPP campaigned heavily against ractopamine when they were in opposition, and the KMT have accused them of hypocrisy.
The governing party now argues the additive is not a safety threat and that the deal will boost ties with the US, a valuable trading partner and strategic ally against China.
'We're very sorry to throw pig's internal organs in parliament, but this is to highlight the pork issue,' opposition lawmaker Lin Wei-chou told reporters.
Lin Chu-yin, a DPP legislator, posted pictures of the discarded offal on her Facebook account.
'The opposition party has the right to protest, but they shouldn't be wasting food,' she wrote.
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