A notice board advising passengers to declare all animal products is displayed at Taoyuan International Airport. (CNA)
 

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.
 
With traveler numbers ramping up and demand for pork products expected to soar over the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, Customs Administration under the Ministry of Finance, National Immigration and National Police Agencies under the Ministry of the Interior, as well as the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine under the COA have implemented new rapid reaction measures and strict inspections to keep the country ASF free while protecting local hog farmers, COA Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng said.
 
According to the COA, passengers illegally bringing meat products into Taiwan from countries or territories classified by the World Organization for Animal Health as ASF affected within the past three years—namely Cambodia, China, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines—will be fined NT$200,000 (US$6,483) and NT$1 million for first-time and repeat offenses, respectively. All luggage and imported parcels from high-risk areas will also undergo tightened inspections, the COA added.
 
Citing BAPHIQ statistics, the COA said a total of 668 fines for first-time violations have been issued since Dec. 18, 2018, with customs officials intercepting 2,844 travelers carrying illegal meat products since Aug. 27, 2018. Of these, 167 items from China and 49 from Vietnam were found to be contaminated with ASF. (RAY-E)