Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung says that this year’s Lunar New Year travel rush will bring with it a heightened risk of African swine fever reaching Taiwan. That’s because the disease has spread widely in the past year, hitting eleven countries in Asia.
Additional measures are being implemented to prevent the spread of African swine fever to Taiwan, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture Jan. 3.
Taiwan's government has fined inbound travelers roughly US$4.5 million for bringing in pork products from countries with African swine fever outbreaks since stiffer fines were established for the offense in late 2018.
Taiwan has stepped up efforts for preventing an outbreak of African swine fever ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, as the government continues its commitment to protecting the country’s hog farming industry.
Imports of canned Vietnamese pork products have been banned after a pork liver paste from the Southeast Asian country tested positive for African swine fever virus, according to the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture Dec. 25.
The agriculture council says that if African swine fever breaks out in Taiwan, the government will impose a ban on the transport and slaughtering of pigs for at least one week. African swine fever does not affect humans but it is fatal to pigs. The disease has spread to 11 Asian countries, following an outbreak in China last August.
Passengers flying into Taiwan from Indonesia who are caught bringing in pork products will be subject to a fine of NT$200,000 (US$6,621), the Central Emergency Operation Center for African swine fever (ASF) said Friday. The announcement came after Indonesia's Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the previous day that an ASF outbreak has taken place in the country's Sumatra Province, according to a weekly report issued that day by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
The government is redoubling its efforts to keep African swine fever out of Taiwan as the busy Lunar New Year travel season approaches. African swine fever is a disease that does not affect humans, but is fatal to pigs. The disease has spread to a number of Asian countries.
At the Cabinet’s weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Su Tseng-chang thanked 14 government ministries and agencies for efforts this past year to keep Taiwan free of African swine fever (ASF). In the work of disease control, he reiterated, there is absolutely no room for negligence or oversight.
E-commerce operators caught posting or selling non-quarantined meat products will soon be subject to fines of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,921), the Council of Agriculture (COA) warned Monday.
