Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/12/17
By: Wu Hsin-yun, Elaine Hou, Lu Hsin-hui and Evelyn Kao

CNA file photo

Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) The Council of Agriculture (COA) has announced stiffer fines on people smuggling meat into Taiwan to prevent African swine fever (ASF) from being spread inside the country.

The new higher fines, to take effect Tuesday, will be raised to NT$200,000 (US$6,485) for first-time offenders and to NT$1 million for second time offenders, said COA deputy chief Huang Chin-cheng (黃金城) on Monday.

The fines apply to people smuggling meat into Taiwan from areas affected by the ASF virus over the past three years, including China, Hong Kong, Macau, Russia and some European countries, Huang said.

The decision was made because of the rapid rise in the number of smuggled meat cases discovered in Taiwan over the past few days after already stiffer fines came into force Dec. 14, according to Huang.    [FULL  STORY]