SWINE FEVER ALERT: Airport officials confiscated 1,495 meat products from Jan. 18 to Wednesday last week, but only 1,037 products from Thursday last week to Tuesday
Taipei Times
Date: Feb 02, 2019
By: Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporter
The number of illegal meat products seized at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport has
A man walks through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday next to a sign showing the way for people coming from African swine fever-infected areas. People traveling from areas that are not affected receive a pass from the ground crew upon landing and take the route on the right-hand side to facilitate luggage checks.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
declined, while 16 new X-ray scanners used to facilitate luggage checks are to begin operating at the airport today, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) said yesterday.
Since China first reported an African swine fever outbreak in August last year, the council has kept stepping up quarantine measures against the disease, especially as the Lunar New Year holiday starts today and cross-strait traffic is expected to increase.
From Jan. 18 to Wednesday last week, airport officials had seized 1,495 illegal meat products, while from Thursday last week to Tuesday, the number dropped to 1,037, proving that the quarantine measures are effective in curbing illegal imports, Chen said in a video posted on the council’s Facebook page.
The products were seized by the airport’s aviation police, who manually check carry-on luggage before they reach customs, he said, adding that tourists dumping illegal meat imports would not receive fines at this stage. [FULL STORY]
