Food things you should know

The Central Disaster Response Center for African Swine Fever said that the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming, which is the peak season for gift giving. Many travelers may bring mooncakes or gifts containing pork back to Taiwan. The Response Center reminds that if you illegally bring pork into the country (region) from where African swine fever has occurred in the past three years, or if the importer sends pork products from a country (region) where African swine fever has occurred to Taiwan by mail, you will be fined NT$200,000 the first time you are caught.

Editing Department

The African Swine Fever Central Disaster Response Center (abbreviated as the Response Center) held its 31st meeting on August 27, 2024. The meeting was chaired by the commander, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junji, and convened relevant ministries to take stock of various border reinforcement and domestic epidemic prevention preparations to prevent African swine fever. The Response Center stated that based on past experience, the period around the Mid-Autumn Festival is when the number of illegally imported animal products by passengers, freight express, and international mail peaks. In particular, pork-containing mooncakes imported from abroad are the bulk of illegal products and the biggest risk source of African swine fever. Commander Chen Junji not only urged all border control-related departments to continue to stand firm in preventing the invasion of African swine fever, but also called on the public to inform their relatives and friends abroad not to send mooncakes or gifts containing pork to Taiwan, and to jointly maintain Taiwan's hard-earned achievement of being an African swine fever-free area.

Bringing meat into the country will be fined 200,000 yuan. China has the highest number of positive reactions.

Currently, the spread of African swine fever (ASF) internationally has not stopped. Since 2024, new European and African countries such as Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, Angola and Gabon have been added. There are still 18 countries in Asia that are ASF-affected areas. Taiwan's success in maintaining its status as an ASF-free area is not a fluke, and it is necessary to continue to strengthen border control.

The Response Center stated that Taiwan's border control agencies continue to implement 100% inspections on the luggage of passengers from high-risk countries and international express parcels with the help of X-ray machines and sniffing dogs. If a passenger illegally brings in luggage from a country (region) with African swine fever in the past three years, or an importer sends pork products from a country (region) with African swine fever to Taiwan by mail, a fine of NT$200,000 will be imposed for the first time they are caught. As the Mid-Autumn Festival has always been the peak period for illegal cases, Commander Minister Chen asked all border control agencies to continue to strengthen border inspections and publicity work to prevent African swine fever from spreading abroad.

The response center said that in order to accurately grasp the risk of epidemic invasion, Taiwan has continued to test illegally imported pork products from the border for viral nucleic acid since August 2018. As of July 31, 2024, a total of 7,490 samples have been tested, and 747 cases of African swine fever virus nucleic acid positive cases were found from neighboring countries such as mainland China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., with an average positive rate of 9.97%. Among them, there were 629 positive samples from mainland China, accounting for 84% of the positive cases, indicating that the risk of African swine fever from the aforementioned countries is still high.

"Green Line Clearance" effectively reduces the amount of fines. Be careful not to bring meat-containing mooncakes back to Taiwan during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The response center said that in order to prevent the invasion of African swine fever, Taiwan continues to implement strict border control to prevent people from taking chances. Since April 2023, the green line clearance has been implemented to strengthen law enforcement measures. Once violations are found, they will be punished. As of July 2024, the number of cases punished per 10,000 passengers has dropped from an average of 3.77 before implementation to 1.39, showing a significant downward trend compared with the same period in 2019. It has achieved the expected results of taking into account quarantine control and reducing the punishment rate of the public. At the same time, various ministries and commissions continue to strengthen publicity for specific target groups such as new immigrants, foreigners, migrant workers, students and overseas Chinese, which is also very helpful in preventing the invasion of African swine fever. In order to reduce the risk of African swine fever being introduced, the Food and Drug Administration and the Central Livestock Industry Association will initiate source verification and sampling inspection of products sold in high-risk stores selling Southeast Asian foods two weeks before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Regarding domestic epidemic prevention preparations, the Response Center stated that in order to reduce the risk of African swine fever spreading through food waste, pig farms with less than 199 pigs are prohibited from using food waste to feed pigs. Inspections will continue to be carried out on pig farms with more than 200 pigs that have obtained inspection and reuse qualifications and use food waste, animal waste or livestock and poultry slaughter by-products to feed pigs. Anyone found to be non-compliant will be punished according to the law.

Finally, the Response Center reminds everyone that due to the traditional customs of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the most illegal quarantine items seized at the border over the years are mooncakes containing pork fillings. Before going abroad, please read the information on the African Swine Fever section of the Ministry of Agriculture's Plant Disease Prevention and Control Bureau's website in detail, and inform relatives and friends overseas not to send pork products to Taiwan from abroad. Do not send mooncakes containing meat. During the festive season, we can express our love without spreading the "epidemic"! Let's work together to maintain the sustainable development of Taiwan's agricultural production.

Review Editor: Lin Yuting