TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) on Tuesday (Sept. 19) again defended his policy to import eggs, while blaming unfounded allegations for a spate of controversies.

On Saturday (Sept. 16), Chen said 54.02 million imported eggs would have to be destroyed as they were damaged or had reached their expiry date. There have also been accusations of mislabeling and other malpractices by importers.

Over the weekend, Chen reportedly tendered his resignation, but the government asked him to stay on. During his latest news conference on Tuesday, he said his colleagues at the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) had been under pressure following unfounded accusations, slander, and rumors, the Liberty Times reported.

Chen said he was willing to apologize for the disruption the allegations had caused. He emphasized he would not evade his responsibility but that his policy had still been the right one, as the benefits outweighed the costs.

According to the minister, the import of eggs helped fight a shortage and made eggs cheaper for consumers. It was also the ministry's responsibility to help protect the livelihood of farmers, he said.

Chen said he was scheduled to present a full explanation of the egg import policy at the regular weekly Cabinet meeting on Thursday (Sept. 21). He underlined that his main concern had been to make sure that Taiwan consumers were still able to buy and eat eggs at a fair price.