Taiwan on ASF Alert Ahead of Lunar New Year Holiday: "Do Not Bring Meat or Processed Products Back"

Amid the upcoming Lunar New Year (Chunje, 설) holiday, Taiwanese authorities have raised an emergency alert for African Swine Fever (ASF) prevention.

On the 5th, Taiwanese media including Liberty Times reported that Taiwanese authorities emphasized the severe international spread of ASF and urged domestic and international travelers visiting Taiwan during the Lunar New Year period to exercise caution. In particular, they instructed quarantine authorities to closely cooperate regarding meat products in carry-on and checked luggage.

An employee at a butcher shop in a supermarket in Beijing, China, is waiting for customers in front of a meat display counter.
[Photo by UPI, Beijing / Yonhap News]

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ASF first appeared in China in 2018 and within a few years spread to most countries in Asia except Japan and Taiwan. Although it does not infect humans, the mortality rate in pigs is nearly 100%, and there is no vaccine or treatment available. Additionally, the ASF virus can survive in foods containing meat such as ham, sausage, and jerky, facilitating transmission to pigs through food.

Since April last year, ASF that began spreading in northern China has expanded to central and southern regions, prompting heightened vigilance in Taiwan, Japan, and several other countries.

For these reasons, Chen Chien-jen, Premier of Taiwan’s Executive Yuan, stated in December last year that ASF outbreaks occurred in 18 Asian countries including South Korea and Hong Kong, and ordered quarantine authorities to closely cooperate in screening travelers and overseas postal shipments to prevent spread. Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture also urged Taiwanese returning from the Lunar New Year holiday to refrain from carrying pork products and processed goods, as well as from purchasing overseas meat products online.

African Swine Fever (ASF) Prevention Guide
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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Taiwanese media also reported on the 6th that a Taiwanese individual entering Taiwan from Hong Kong was fined 200,000 New Taiwan Dollars (approximately 8.5 million KRW) after being caught by a quarantine detection dog for carrying two pieces (80g) of sushi containing pork ham without declaring it to ASF quarantine authorities.

Previously, since 0:00 on May 31, 2019, Taiwan has conducted full inspections of baggage and personal belongings of passengers arriving from South Korea for ASF. According to data from Taiwan’s Central Disaster Response Center, from December 18, 2018 to December 31, 2021, and from January 1, 2022 to January 28 this year, 27 and 26 South Koreans respectively were fined 200,000 New Taiwan Dollars for ASF violations.

African Swine Fever (ASF) Quarantine
[Photo by Yonhap News]

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The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has also strengthened ASF precautions and requested cooperation from travelers, especially those traveling for golf and sports, to prevent virus introduction. Travelers to Japan must not bring in foods containing meat and must not enter wearing shoes with soil on them. In Japan, those who bring in meat-containing foods face a maximum fine of 3 million yen or imprisonment for up to 3 years.

China has also been urging caution among pig farms as ASF has spread since last year. The Livestock Association of Sichuan Province, China’s largest pig farming region, announced, "Until the end of February, the import of pigs weighing over 30 kg from other regions into Sichuan Province is prohibited, and quarantine measures must be strengthened."

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