January 2, 2020

Taiwan increases fines to swine farms who use leftovers as feed

Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) minister Chen Chi-chung said a repeatable fine up to 3 million TWD (~US$99,871; 1 TWD = US$0.1033) will be imposed on swine farmers who use leftovers as swine feed in efforts to prevent an African swine fever (ASF) outbreak, reported Taipei Times.

While ASF has not been discovered in Taiwan, the COA aims to prevent a possible transmission of the disease through the implementation of the fine.

Swine farmers who intend to use leftovers to feed their herds must make an advanced application with local environmental authorities or risk being fined.

Farmers caught used leftovers as swine feed without a permit will be subjected to a 30,000 NTD (~US$ 998) fine for the first offence, which will increase to 3 million NTD (~US$99,871) for repeated offenses.

Currently 751 swine farmers of 2,000 total in Taiwan have permits to feed their swine herds with leftovers. The rest have either converted to fodder or have terminated their business.

Minister Chen said approved farmers that use leftovers must disinfect the leftovers in 90°C temperatures for an hour before they are fed to swine, with farmers who have failed previous inspections subjected to additional checks.

The COA have called on the public to monitor swine farmers, with 20% of the fine awarded to members of the public who report illegal use of leftovers as swine feed.

In addition to fines on swine farmers, travellers from ASF-infected countries caught bringing in pork or pork-based products will also be fined 200,000 NTD (~US$ 6,658) for the first offense, and 1,000,000 NTD (~US$ 33,290) for future offenses. Foreign offenders will be denied entry to Taiwan if they refuse to pay the fine.

ASF has spread throughout Asia, with China, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, North Korea, South Korea, East Timor, Philippines and Indonesia managing the spread of ASF in their countries.

-      Taipei Times