People who bring back sand or dirt as souvenirs from their trips overseas are violating the nation’s quarantine and inspection regulations, Council of Agriculture (COA) officials said.
The officials made the remarks after television host Angela Lee (李佳豫) showed off sand she had brought back from the Sahara Desert when she attended the variety show Here Comes Kang and Xi (康熙來了). In the show, she poured some of the sand onto the hands of the host and said she bottled it herself.
Fei Wen-chi (費雯綺), deputy director general of COA’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said dirt imported from overseas might contain bacteria or other microorganisms that could damage the nation’s environment and agriculture. Therefore, travelers importing dirt, sand, soil or animals and plants containing them must file an application to do so.
Applicants may only secure permits to import these items after inspection and quarantine officials ascertain that they have been sterilized, she said.
Those violating the regulation are liable to be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000, she said.
While travelers are not permitted to import dirt they collect overseas without special permission, Fei also said those purchasing dirt as a souvenir had to voluntarily declare it at customs.
“Even though dirt has been processed into a commodity, we can never know for sure if they [other countries] have adopted standardized procedures to sterilize it,” Fei said.
Aside from dirt, Taiwan also bans travelers from importing moon cakes and instant noodles containing meat. Inspection officials said people often bring egg rolls with shredded pork jerky when returning from Macau, with some trying to pass through customs without declaring them, at which point sniffer dogs smell them out.
“If you are not sure if you can import a certain item into the country, you had better pass through the ‘Declare’ gate and let quarantine officials determine for you,” Fei said. “If it is determined that you cannot bring the item in, just throw it away at the banned produce disposal box at customs to avoid a penalty.”
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