Taiwan's Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) apologized on Friday (Sept. 22) for the mislabeling of imported eggs and public dissatisfaction.
Chen faced protests from KMT legislators before he spoke in the Legislative Yuan. He said the government imported eggs to cope with a shortage caused by avian flu, the Russo-Ukrainian war and a global surge in feed prices.
He added the import policy was necessary but imperfect and caused social unrest. He apologized to the people and said the government would listen to their suggestions and improve its measures.
He also said he would communicate with legislators and explain the government's efforts. He said he believed the egg supply, price and safety would become more stable.
The Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation (TPOF) conducted a survey on Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung's (陳吉仲) handling of the egg crisis. Results showed that only 21% were satisfied, while 57% were dissatisfied.
TPOF Chair You Ying-long (游盈隆) said the survey conveyed a clear message that people could not accept the problems caused by the egg import policy. He said Chen's explanations were limited in their effectiveness.
He added the backlash and resentment among the people was strong and comprehensive, reaching the level of a "public opinion tsunami." He said this was rare for general public policies and could have a significant impact on the Tsai government, the Cabinet and the DPP's election prospects.
The poll was conducted from Sept.18-20, during the period when Chen went from "rumored resignation" to Chen's "reluctantly approved resignation." The poll used a dual-frame sampling method with both landlines and mobile phones, with a sample size of 1,077 people and a sampling error of plus or minus 2.99 percentage points.