Inspectors in Tainan have uncovered a shipment of pork from Thailand that is contaminated with African Swine Fever.
African Swine Fever does not affect humans, but it is fatal to pigs. Its arrival in Taiwan would be devastating to Taiwan's sizable pork industry. To keep the disease out, Taiwan has put in place measures that include searching the luggage brought into the country by travelers arriving from affected areas or high-risk countries.
On Thursday, Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung told the legislature's economic affairs committee that this is the first time African Swine Fever has ever been found in pork from Thailand. However, he said that Taiwan has considered Thailand to be a high-risk country since 2019. He said that since then, travelers arriving from Thailand have been among those travelers whose luggage is subject to a full search.
In response to concerns that the contaminated pork is a breach of Taiwan's efforts to keep out African Swine Fever, Chen said that 100% of packages arriving in Taiwan will now be checked thoroughly. He said that inspectors will also conduct an x-ray scan of every arriving parcel.
Chen urged Taiwanese consumers not to order pork products from abroad.