The government on Thursday banned the importation of pork products from the Dominican Republic, citing reports of an outbreak of African swine fever in the Caribbean country.
People arriving from the Dominican Republic would be fined NT$200,000 if they are found to have pork or pork-based items on them, the Council of Agriculture’s African swine fever disaster response center said, adding that nonresidents who contravene the ban and are unable to pay the fine would be refused entry.
The US Department of Agriculture has confirmed cases of African swine fever based on samples from pigs in the Dominican Republic, the center said.
It is the first outbreak of the disease in the Caribbean region in the past few years, it said, adding that cases have more recently been reported in Asia, Europe and Africa.
Taiwan, which has a significant hog farming industry, has been on high alert over African swine fever and has banned the importation of pork from areas in Africa where outbreaks occur frequently.
However, the virus has been found in imported products such as mooncakes, which often contain pork from unknown sources, the center said, adding that mooncakes containing the virus have been seized from incoming travelers.
Mooncakes are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 21 this year.
African swine fever, albeit not known to be harmful to humans, has a high fatality rate for pigs. There is no cure or vaccine for the disease.
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