The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said yesterday that individuals who receive parcels containing pork products from abroad would face fines of up to NT$1 million (US$32,160), even if the violation was unintentional, as part of strengthened efforts to prevent African swine fever (ASF) from entering Taiwan.
The revised rule, which took effect last Thursday, imposes fines of NT$200,000 for first-time offenders and NT$1 million for repeat violations, the MOA said in a report on post-ASF prevention and market adjustment measures presented at yesterday's Executive Yuan meeting.
Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) told reporters after the meeting that in past cases, some recipients claimed they were unaware their parcels contained pork products in an attempt to avoid punishment.
Photo: Taipei Times
From now on, all violators are to be fined, whether the act was intentional or the result of negligence, he said, adding that those who believe they were wrongly penalized would be able to seek administrative relief.
According to the MOA, the new measures also include stricter border inspections, enhanced checks on cargo and travelers from high-risk areas, and tighter regulation of cross-border e-commerce platforms.
The Ministry of Digital Affairs said it would require e-commerce platforms under its jurisdiction to display disease-prevention warnings and restrict access to high-risk products. Platforms that fail to comply may face penalties, the ministry added.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard Administration is to deploy radar and drones to monitor suspicious vessels, expand inspections to curb smuggling of animal products, and strengthen checks on crew belongings, according to the report.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has instructed relevant agencies to strictly enforce the new measures to help Taiwan regain its ASF-free status, after African swine fever was confirmed at a Taichung pig farm last month, Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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