People should refrain from buying rice dumplings or bringing other products that contain pork from abroad for Dragon Boat Festival to help prevent African swine fever from affecting the local pork farming industry, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Central Emergency Operation Center for African Swine Fever said on Friday.
The African swine fever epidemic remains a serious concern globally and spread to six new countries last year, the center said.
While the disease has become epidemic in 19 Asian countries, as well as others in Europe and Africa, Taiwan is free of it thanks to the government’s interagency efforts and the public’s cooperation, it said.
Photo: Taipei Times
To precisely evaluate the risk of an epidemic outbreak locally, authorities conduct testing for the African swine fever virus at customs on intercepted pork products illegally imported from overseas, the center said.
From Aug. 27, 2018, to the end of last month, 899 out of 8,543 specimens, or 10.5 percent, tested positive for the virus, it said.
Test results showed that nearby countries such as China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia still have a high risk of spreading the disease internationally, with Chinese products having the highest positivity rate of 11.4 percent, the center said.
People are advised to make sure that food products they intend to bring back to Taiwan do not contain pork, it said.
Given the increasing risk of pork products, such as rice dumplings, being illegally carried by inbound travelers leading up to Dragon Boat Festival on May 31, authorities at customs were asked to boost inspections of illegally imported meat products to block African swine fever, the center said.
Agencies would continue to publicize the regulations among people who might not be familiar with local disease prevention and quarantine laws, including immigrants, foreign travelers, migrant workers, international students and overseas Taiwanese, it said.
All international parcels would be examined using X-ray machines and detection dogs at customs to ensure that no illegal pork products are smuggled in, the center said.
The average number of illegal pork imports was 3.77 cases per 10,000 travelers before the regulations were tightened in April 2023, but it had dropped to 1.91 per 10,000 at the end of last month, despite an increase in arrivals, it said, adding that high monetary penalties have effectively deterred people from wrongdoing.
First-time offenders who illegally carry pork products into Taiwan from areas that in the previous three years were listed as having an African swine fever epidemic or illegally import pork products from the areas via postal services would be fined NT$200,000, the center said.
Data showed that rice dumplings containing pork are the most common illegal items identified by custom authorities around Dragon Boat Festival over the past few years, it said, calling on the public not to have overseas friends or relatives send pork products to Taiwan.
Regarding local African swine fever prevention measures, the center said it would focus on reducing the risk of the disease transmitted via food waste.
Hog farms with fewer than 200 pigs are banned from giving their animals food waste, while those with 200 or more pigs can feed pigs food waste if they have permission, it said.
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