June 2, 2022

Taiwan still faces African swine fever threat

Taiwan's Customs Administration said there is still an African swine fever (ASF) threat, as it calls on consumers not to bring in pork illegally ahead of the upcoming June 3 Dragon Boat Festival, a peak gift giving season, Focus Taiwan reported.

Customs officials said among 226 pork or pork products that have been illegally brought into Taiwan from overseas since the start of 2022, 28 tested positive for ASF.

Of the 226 cases, 176 were mailed parcels, 12 through express air freight, and 37 from packagers from travellers. The total weight was 242.2 kg.

The products include sausages, fried pig skin, and moon cakes.

The Customs Administration said it will strictly check mail packages, express air cargo, imported shipments, and intensify border checks for travellers from ASF high-risk areas. These include China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, South Korea, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, Russia, Greece, Poland, Germany and Papua New Guinea.

Travellers who bring in pork from the above ASF high-risk areas could be fined NTD 200,000 (~US$6,850; NTD 100 = US$3.43), and repeat offenders will be fined NTD 1 million (~US$34,253).

Taiwan's Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture said ASF could devastate Taiwan's NTD 170 billion (~US$5.8 billion) swine sector.

-      Focus Taiwan