Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/04/08
By Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu
Taipei, April 8 (CNA) A Taiwanese traveler returning from Japan has been
(Photo courtesy of the COA)
fined for bringing eight live beetles into Taiwan on Thursday, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said Friday.
The traveler was fined NT$3,000 (US$93), and all the beetles were confiscated and destroyed.
Feng Hai-tung (馮海東), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine under the COA, said live insects can directly or indirectly harm local plants and pose a potential threat to the country’s agricultural sector and environment.
They are not allowed to be brought into the country unless prior approval has been obtained from authorized agencies, Feng said. [FULL STORY]