Taipei City Government

As we approach the Chinese New Year’s holiday starting on 1/23, outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) continue to spread across Asia, with 11 countries declared as outbreak regions including China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Laos, the Philippines, Korea, East Timor, and Indonesia. Citizens entering the country must refer to the “List of Things Not to Buy When Traveling Abroad” published by the Central Emergency Operation Center in order to protect Taiwan’s pork industry and prevent ASF from entering our country from outbreak regions.

Taipei City Government completed the policy objective of downsizing of concentrated animal feeding operations for private pig farmers in the territory of Taipei on September 3, 2019 to minimize the risk of an ASF outbreak. The concept of disease prevention is still being educated to stores and citizens through various channels in an effort to remind citizens of ASF’s characteristics and its impact on the domestic pig farming industry. Apart from Taipei Songshan Airport, Taipei City is also near the vicinity of important transit facilities such as the Taipei Port and Keelung Port that are frequented by travelers. Citizens are reminded that if they discover or receive suspicious meat products such as ham, sausages, zongzi, dumplings or egg rolls with pork fibers, please dial the 1999 hotline so that the Taipei City Animal Protection Office (APO) will be able to retrieve the said meat products anonymously, where they will be handed over to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) Keelung Branch Office to assess whether the meat products should be checked for ASF virus or collectively destroyed. Citizens are urged not to discard imported meat products in the kitchen waste bucket in order to prevent the ASF virus from attacking the domestic pig food chain.

According to the APO, there is currently no vaccination against ASF, and the only way to prevent it is through containment. An appeal is made for the public to collaborate with the government to prevent ASF from entering the country from abroad, therefore it is imperative that citizens inform their friends and relatives returning to Taiwan to never bring meat products into the country or purchase meat products from abroad online. Passengers found in possession of pork products from countries that have been affected by ASF within the last 3 years will be fined NT$200,000 for their first offense, NT$1 million for the second offense, and foreign nationals who have yet to pay the NT$200,000 fine for their first offense will be rejected from entering the country. By voluntarily declaring meat products from abroad, you will not only save NT$200,000 but also contribute to the protection of pigs’ health in Taiwan and the Taiwanese pig farming industry.

APO added that for citizens intending to obtain further details about ASF, please refer to the Central Emergency Operation Center’s “ASF Information” section (https://asf.baphiq.gov.tw/index.php) and click on “Promotional Materials” to acquire various printed promotional materials, multimedia information and relevant punitive regulations.