Illegal pork products are increasingly delivered to Taiwan by mail and express delivery services, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday.
Council of Agriculture (CAO) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲), who heads the center’s African swine fever prevention task force, said that pork products brought in by air and sea passengers have significantly dropped after the government imposed a NT$20,000 fine.
The number of contraventions was down to 47 last year from 120 in 2020, Chen said.
Photo: CNA
Officials last year seized 37.5kg of pork products brought in by travelers, down from 89kg in 2020, he added.
“We find more illegal pork products in packages delivered through the postal service and express delivery services. Last year, 529 packages sent by postal service were found to contain pork products from overseas, up from 222 in 2020. Meanwhile, 100 packages sent by express delivery services contained illegal pork products, up from 20 in 2020,” he said.
The amount of illegal pork products delivered via postal services rose from 230.3kg to 547.2kg, while that sent via express delivery services increased from 66.2kg to 443.2kg, Chen said.
“Except Thailand, 14 nations in Southeast Asia are African swine fever areas,” Chen said.
Although the Thai government has not reported any African swine fever cases, Taiwan recently tested two pork products sent from that country and found African swine fever infection, he said.
“We urge travelers to refrain from purchasing pork products from African swine fever-affected areas or having them delivered to Taiwan,” Chen said, urging migrant workers and immigrants to refrain from asking relatives to send pork products to Taiwan.
Before the Lunar New Year holiday, the council is to work with the Food and Drug Administration to inspect 500 retail stores across the nation that might sell high-risk pork products made in other countries, Chen said.
From Oct. 1, 2018, to Friday last week, the center tested 3,643 pork samples for African swine fever, of which 292 tested positive, it said.
Among the samples that tested positive were 227 from China, 63 from Vietnam and two from Thailand, the center said.
The products tested were found in travelers’ carry-on luggage, parcels sent by post and express delivery services, and boxes for prohibited items at customs.
Meanwhile, six farms are to be fined for using food waste as pig feed, Chen said, adding that the council would schedule another inspection of pig farms this month.
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