Taiwan’s customs officials issued a fine of $NT200,000 (£7,365) to a traveller trying to bring a lunch box containing pork into the country.
The South China Morning Post reported that the Indonesian national arrived from Hong Kong on April 30 and was sniffed out by a quarantine dog.
The traveller was unable to pay the fine for his ‘roast chicken and pork combo’, and as a result, deported.
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Taiwan introduced fines for pork products arriving to the island after a 2018 outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China.
These increase to $NT1m (£24,273) for continuing breaches of quarantine.
It’s after APHIA, Taiwan’s animal and plant health inspection agency, issued a statement concerning the upcoming Dragon Boat festival, which starts from 10 June.
They warn against buying overseas meat online to sell on stalls due to previous cases of shipment containing ASF and foot-and-mouth disease.
The festival would act as a possible contagion zone for bacteria to spread.
ASF is currently affecting countries across the world, with cases found across Europe and North America.
The latest outbreak in China saw the slaughtering of millions of pigs in an attempt to curb the spread.
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), ASF is responsible for massive losses in the pig and pork industry.
Their guidance on the disease said: “The virus is highly resistant in the environment, meaning that it can survive on clothes, boots, wheels, and other materials.
“It can also survive in various pork products, such as ham, sausages or bacon.”
The disease is also a concern for biodiversity and ecosystems, as it can also affect wild boars and native breed alongside domestic-farmed pigs.
While there have been no outbreaks in the UK, recent announcements that funding for the Dover Port Health Authority will be cut have raised concerns.
Official government guidance on the situation can be found here.
