Four suspects were indicted on Wednesday on charges of illegally importing and selling avian influenza vaccines, the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office said.
The four were charged with contravening the Veterinary Drugs Control Act and could be sentenced to a maximum of seven years in prison and fined up to NT$4.5 million (US$137,489), prosecutors said.
The office said that following a tip-off late last year, it collaborated with the police and local animal disease control departments from January to last month, conducting multiple raids of the suspects’ residences and their customers’ farms.
Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine
In one residence alone, the office seized 445 bottles of avian flu vaccine, 60 bottles of poultry serum, 60 bottles of other illegal vaccines and various administration tools, it said in a press release.
The veterinary drug supply chain has extended into nearby regions, including Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the Pingtung County Animal Disease Control Center said.
Taiwan’s epidemic prevention policies ban avian flu vaccines due to their ineffectiveness and the potential for vaccinated birds to produce antibodies that impede disease control efforts, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Improper vaccination could lead to virus recombination and mutation, raising the risks of transmission from birds to mammals and humans, the ministry said in a press release.
Under the law, people working in animal husbandry or aquaculture who give unauthorized drugs to their animals may be fined between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000. Multiple offenses within one year may result in fines of NT500,000 to NT$2.5 million.
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