Staff writer, with CNATravelers entering Taiwan from Indonesia are to face fines if they are caught bringing pork products into the nation, the Central Emergency Operation Center for African Swine Fever said yesterday. The announcement came after Indonesia’s Ministry of Agriculture confirmed in a weekly report released on Thursday by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that an African swine fever outbreak has taken place in its Sumatra Province. Increased pig mortality has been reported in North Sumatra and other provinces since late September, and the FAO is drafting recommendations on African swine fever control that would be appropriate for conditions in Indonesia, the report said. Visitors from African swine fever-affected and high-risk countries and regions who attempt to bring pork products into Taiwan face a fine of NT$200,000 (US$6,597) for first-time offenders, followed by fines of up to NT$1 million for repeat offenders, the center said. Indonesia joins Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Macau, Mongolia, Myanmar, North and South Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam as countries from which travelers entering Taiwan must have their carry-on luggage checked due to confirmation of African swine fever in those countries or territories, the center said.

Source: Taipei Times December 13, 2019 16:05 UTC