CNA file photo

Taipei, Jan. 6 (CNA) Since August 2018, there have been 10 cases in which meat products brought into Taiwan by travelers have tested positive for the African swine fever (ASF) virus, according to the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ).

Over the almost five-month period, it has tested 678 of the 708 meat products it has found brought in from China, the BAPHIQ data showed Saturday.

Among them, 10 were confirmed to be infected with the ASF virus, the BAPHIQ said.

In six of the 10 cases, the meat products were found in Customs disposal containers, three at Kinmen's Shuitou Pier, and one each at Taichung International Airport, Kaohsiung International Airport (KIA) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA), BAPHIQ data showed.

The other four cases in which meat products were found to be infected with the ASF virus involved passengers attempting to bring in the products, two at TTIA, and one each at Taichung Port and KIA, the bureau said.

Meanwhile, since the fines were increased Dec. 18 last year, 44 people have each been fined NT$200,000 (US$6,486) for attempting to bring meat products into Taiwan from ASF infected areas, BAPHIQ data showed.

(By Wu Hsin-yun and William Yen)
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