Singapore is to allow imports of Taiwanese raw pork for the first time in 15 years, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
The Singapore Food Agency has approved imports of fresh pork produced by New Taipei City-based Cha I Shan Foods, which had obtained a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification from the ministry to export to Singapore, it said.
The ministry said it had hoped Singapore would permit Taiwanese fresh pork imports in addition to processed pork products.
Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Taipei Times
Singapore agreed to accept Taiwanese fresh pork after completing a document review and a virtual tour of Cha I Shan Foods’ packing plant in a boost to international recognition for the nation’s sanitation standards for pork, the ministry said.
The achievement would not have been possible without advances in animal disease prevention and the meat packing industry’s adoption of the HACCP system, it said.
Taiwan is negotiating with Singapore to certify other pork producers in the nation, the ministry said.
Singapore is the second country to permit Taiwanese fresh pork imports after the Philippines.
The government has upgraded the meat packing industry and its cold chains to meet international standards, the ministry said.
Eleven pork and 17 poultry packing plants have achieved HACCP certification since the ministry rolled out the standard in late 2020, it added.
Taiwan continues to take measures against diseases affecting pig farms, including preventing African swine fever from entering the nation, and eliminating foot-and-mouth disease and ordinary swine fever, it said.
The WHO has certified Taiwan to be free of foot-and-mouth disease and the ministry is working toward obtaining swine fever-free status, which is expected in May next year, it said.
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