All luggage and packages from China are subject to X-ray inspections after a new type of African swine fever virus was discovered in spicy sausage imported by a passenger arriving from China on Monday, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
The National Institute for Animal Health on Monday said in a statement that the new genetic recombination of the African swine fever virus entered China in 2018 from Portugal.
China last year confirmed the first case caused by the new virus and other cases were subsequently found in China’s Jiangsu and Henan provinces, as well as the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the institute said.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
Studies have shown that the new virus is highly pathogenic and transmissible, and a new African swine fever vaccine has been unable to contain the spread of the disease, the institute said.
Acting Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Taipei that the ministry is intensifying inspections of luggage and packages to prevent the spread of the virus amid the holiday season.
“No matter how pathogenic the new virus is, it is important that we intercept it and block its outbreak at the border, so that it would not affect the domestic swine industry,” Chen said.
Checked and carry-on luggage, as well as packages from China, Southeast Asian nations and other Africa swine fever-affected nations are now subject to X-ray inspections, he said.
Chunghwa Post has also requested assistance from the ministry’s quarantine dogs and a higher percentage of parcels from China would be subject to inspection, he said.
The Coast Guard Administration is to bolster efforts to crack down on ships smuggling Chinese products into outlying islands, he added.
“We would also remind online shopping platform operators that no pork products made in other countries should be sold on their platforms,” Chen said.
The ministry would also monitor pig farms that use food waste, making sure that they cook food waste at high temperatures and do not use food waste collected from ships or aircraft, he said.
In addition, Chen said that the ministry is monitoring a potential outbreak of avian flu in chicken farms caused by migratory birds seeking shelter in Taiwan.
“Based on experiences in other countries, migratory birds fly to Taiwan when temperatures fall below 15°C,” Chen said. “We have worked with the Central Weather Administration, which provides us with airstream data to help us monitor migratory birds’ flight paths to Taiwan. Chicken farm operators should install nets to prevent migratory birds from flying into farms. They should increase inspections if the feces of migratory birds is found to contain avian flu viruses. Once the flu is found, farm operators need to take quick and decisive action to prevent the spread of the disease.”
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