Purchasing pet food containing meat products online could risk introducing foreign animal diseases, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said on Friday. Pet owners should check whether such products have been approved by the agency, as those who import illegal products could face a fine of up to NT$1 million (US$30,855), it said.
Many online shops offer big discounts as the end of the year approaches, giving pet owners the chance to pamper their furry friends while saving money.
However, freeze-dried pet food could contain contaminated meat products that put Taiwan’s animals at risk, the agency said.
Photo courtesy of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency
In Asia, only Japan and Taiwan remain free of African swine fever (ASF), the agency said.
This year, new outbreaks of the disease were reported in Montenegro, Kosovo and Albania in Europe, Angola and Gabon in Africa, and Sri Lanka in Asia, it said.
Neighboring countries, including South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines, continue to report ASF outbreaks, it said.
ASF continues to be detected in pork imported illegally from China, Vietnam and Thailand, it added, emphasizing the severity of the situation.
While most ASF-positive products imported were intended for human consumption, with the growing number of pets, cases of illegally imported pet products have also grown, the agency said.
Freeze-dried pet food and other animal products imported from overseas must comply with quarantine requirements, it said.
Products that have been approved by the agency ensure pets’ food safety and prevent the introduction of foreign animal diseases, it said. Customers should check whether products purchased through international e-commerce contain animal ingredients, the agency said.
Many of these products, including sausages, pork floss, jerky, chicken feet and mooncakes, are not allowed to be shipped to Taiwan, it said.
Shipping products containing animal ingredients to Taiwan could result in heavy fines and puts Taiwan’s pigs at risk of disease outbreaks, it added.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS