Blocking loopholes
As a recent outbreak of African swine fever in China is spinning out of control, two cases of people carrying Chinese pork products contaminated with the virus to Taiwan have been found, stirring fear among the public and the food sector.
On Saturday, the Council of Agriculture issued an urgent announcement imposing a ban, effective immediately, on imports of Japanese hogs and pork products, due to an epidemic of classical swine fever, or hog cholera.
In accordance with Article 43 of the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease (動物傳染病防治條例), people contravening the law can face a fine of between NT$50,000 and NT$1 million [US$1,619 and US$32,377]. Article 28 of the same law allows the authorities to suspend “importation of materials subjected to quarantine from designated zones.”
While the African swine fever in China and the classical swine fever in Japan are two different diseases, they are listed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as animal epidemics that need to be reported.
There are vaccines for the prevention of classical swine fever, but none for African swine fever, yet both diseases have a tremendous impact on the pig farming industry.
In May last year, Taiwan was approved by the OIE to be listed among “member countries and zones recognized as free from foot-and-mouth disease [FMD] with vaccination.”
Starting from July, FMD vaccinations for pigs and other even-toed hoofed animals have ended on Taiwan proper, as well as in Penghu County and on Matsu. This is the result of a 20-year-effort following the great outbreak of the disease in 1997, which incurred heavy loss on the pig farming industry.
Even though the spread of the two epidemics has drawn the attention of the authorities, who are strengthening quarantine checks and informing the public, cases of people bringing products tested to be contaminated still occur from time to time, not to mention those who are not caught.
In recent years, online shopping on cross-border e-commerce platforms has become popular among consumers. New kinds of transactions require new models of law enforcement, as potential loopholes in food safety can appear at the origin, during cold-chain transportation and in the management of online food product labeling.
To circumvent a single loophole from having an impact on Taiwan’s quarantine and disease prevention, the government should tighten regulations and conduct a comprehensive review of the workforce conducting food safety inspections.
Corresponding countermeasures and solutions are required to enhance effectiveness when conducting inspections on all possible channels for bringing pork products into the nation.
Shih I-chun
New Taipei City
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