The National Immigration Agency (NIA, 移民署) prevents the entry of African Swine Fever. In the past two weeks, 99 pork products of unknown origin were seized, with a total weight of 1,108 kilograms. Minister Hsu Kuo-Yung (徐國勇) of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI, 內政部) went to the NIA on September 7 to thank colleagues for their hard work and efforts in protecting Taiwan’s pig industry by controlling the spread of swine fever.
The Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-Yung (left) went to thank colleagues and discussed with the Director of the National Immigration Agency Chung Ching-Kun (right). (Photo/provided by the National Immigration Agency)
To prevent the entry of illegally smuggled meat and processed meat products from swine fever affected areas and to stop the spread of the virus, the NIA seized 99 pork products of unknown origin, of which 5 have tested positive for the African swine fever virus. Among them, the Hsinchu City Task Force (新竹市專勤隊) seized 32 kilograms of Vietnamese pork products through the Internet and Facebook messages. Among them, 18 kilograms of ham and crispy bone rolls tested positive for African swine fever, and they traced the source and the importer. Also seized were 212 kilograms of Vietnamese pork products all at one time and it was reported to the prosecutor’s office to command the investigation office to search 3 locations, detain 3 suspects, and seize 78 kilograms of Vietnamese pork products.
The Minister of the Interior Hsu Kuo-Yung (middle) went to the National Immigration Agency to thank colleagues and took a group photo with the Director of the Immigration Department Chung Ching-Kun (5th from left) and others. (Photo/provided by the National ImmigrationAgency)
The total weight of the three seizures was 322 kilograms, of which, 67.5 kg with African swine fever virus has been detected. Another 119.3 kg of shredded chicken meat mixed with pork that has the same kind of packaging as the product that tested positive for swine fever virus in Kang Shan, Kaohsiung (高雄岡山), is now being tested.
The National Immigration Agency seized Vietnamese pork products of unknown origin which tested positive for African swine fever. (Photo/provided by the National Immigration Agency)
In addition to acquiring relevant sources and clues through various multilingual channels, the NIA’s dedicated teams in cities and counties have also actively cooperated with the various local government units such as the police, health, and agricultural affairs units to join the local crime investigation platform team and establish communication channels to completely prevent the smuggling of pork products from unknown sources. The three-pronged approach of announcing, collecting clues, and investigating is used to trace the origin, distribution, and destination of the illegal products. Also, the investigation of online shopping, Facebook, food stores, restaurants, snack shops, and warehouse operators is strengthened using publicity leaflets and videos in 7 languages. Since August 24, the government has mobilized 8,632 people, inspected 2,408 locations, and seized 1,108 kilograms of pork products of unknown origin. Due to the large volume of seizures, Minister Hsu Kuo-Yung (徐國勇) is sure that the socio-economic impact is big.
The National Immigration Agency’s leaflets on African swine fever prevention available in different languages. (Photo/provided by the National Immigration Agency)
As the Mid-Autumn Festival is fast approaching, Minister Hsu Kuo-Yung urges Taiwanese and new immigrants not to import, send or hand-carry mooncakes containing meat, or processed meat products from swine fever epidemic areas such as Vietnam, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and South Korea. The public is also reminded not to buy meat products of unknown origin to avoid accidental violation of the laws. If the laws are violated, the fine can be up to NT$1 million. Sending or purchasing pork products from abroad will also be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of not more than 7 years and a fine of up to NT$3 million will be imposed.
