The Council of Agriculture (COA) imposed a temporary ban on apple imports from France yesterday after discovering an infestation of codling moth larvae in a recent shipment.
It was the first time codling moths had been discovered in apple imports from Europe, the council said.
The codling moth is a serious pest that affects apple, pear, quince and walnut-producing regions in Europe, Asia and North America.
Codling moths could devastate the nation's apple and pear crops if they were introduced here, council officials said.
According to officials at the council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, the larvae were found on Tuesday in a shipment containing 1,029 crates of Gala apples.
The council said the find was identified as codling moth larvae by visual inspection and DNA analysis.
Quarantine regulations require the bureau to destroy the shipment or return it to the country of origin.
The bureau had requested the French authorities suspend apple exports to Taiwan until they identify the cause of the infestation and take measures to remedy the situation, officials said.
As for shipments already en route, the bureau would conduct a comprehensive inspection after their arrival, the officials said.
Last year Taiwan imported 586 tonnes of apples from France, accounting for only 0.5 percent of apple imports, the council said.
Taiwanese consume around 115,000 tonnes of apples annually, relying on imports to meet more than 90 percent of demand.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS