African swine fever: inbound passengers from epidemic areas pass through three checkpoints with 100% hand luggage screening
Premier Su Tseng-chang visited Taoyuan Airport on the 14th to inspect the African swine fever situation, and was dissatisfied that inbound luggage was not being screened 100 percent, creating a gap in epidemic prevention. In response to this gap, the Central Emergency Operation Center for African Swine Fever joined with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Ministry of the Interior and Taoyuan Airport Corporation on the 16th to roll out the latest border control measures, carrying out comprehensive hand luggage inspections in this key area of inbound and outbound control at Taoyuan Airport by adding three checkpoints, so that passengers entering from African swine fever epidemic areas (mainland China, Hong Kong, China and Macao, China) undergo a series of luggage security checks starting from the moment they get off the plane.
Chen Yi-tsai, chief of the Taipei Customs Office under the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance, said that in the past there were concerns that hand luggage inspections would cause congestion in the flow of people; the design of these three checkpoints is intended to stretch out the inspection line, and for high-risk flights to carry out 100 percent hand luggage inspections as soon as they land, in the hope of enforcing the seizure of illegal meat products without disturbing the public.
Quarantine dogs wait at the baggage claim carousel to sniff
Next, when the National Immigration Agency checks passports, it hands every inbound passenger (regardless of whether they are entering from an African swine fever epidemic area or not) a leaflet prohibiting the carrying of banned meat products, and gives verbal reminders. At the last checkpoint, at the carousel where passengers wait for checked luggage, quarantine dogs sniff the hand luggage of passengers entering from African swine fever epidemic areas while they wait for their bags.
Finance Minister Su Jain-rong said that for sea transport, all clearance points (whether checked or hand luggage) uniformly pass through X-ray machines. At Taichung Airport, Hualien Airport, Kinmen Airport and Penghu Airport, both checked and hand luggage also pass through X-ray inspection. At Songshan Airport, checked luggage passes through X-ray machines, and an additional clearance line has been added for hand luggage, with personnel inspecting each piece one by one; at Xiaogang Airport, checked luggage is also processed through X-ray machine inspection, while hand luggage security screening is carried out by personnel through the addition of two clearance lines.
Chen Yi-tsai, chief of the Taipei Customs Office under the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance, said that in the past there were concerns that hand luggage inspections might cause congestion in the flow of people; the design of these three new checkpoints is intended to stretch out the inspection line, and for high-risk groups to undergo 100 percent hand luggage inspections as soon as they land, in the hope of enforcing the seizure of illegal meat products without disturbing the public.
Should fines be paid before entry? Legislation would be needed to implement this
As for penalties in cases of illegally carrying meat products, violators have almost all not yet paid. Premier Su Tseng-chang said that those who illegally carry meat products and do not pay the fine should not be allowed to enter. But this involves the regulations of the Administrative Enforcement Agency, and legislation would be needed to implement it. The Central Emergency Operation Center said that at present, for nationals who violate the rules, the fine must be paid within one month, while for foreign travelers, if they leave the country after a first penalty without paying the fine, the National Immigration Agency will keep a relevant record, and afterward they may not enter Taiwan a second time.
Feng Hai-tung, director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said that for travelers, it is actually unlikely to get them to produce 200,000 at that moment, so they can only be asked as much as possible to pay the fine; if they leave the country without paying, the information will be left with the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and if they later enter Taiwan again, their entry will be restricted.
Environmental re-inspection applications take a long time; localities suggest issuing temporary permits first
Regarding the transition of pig farming with food waste, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng said that of the 1,097 pig farms currently applying for "reuse review," they were originally required on January 6 to undergo review within one week, but because the application process takes time, these pig farms, after reporting back through county and city governments, were able to have the review period extended, and during the wait for review, county and city governments will be asked to inspect them daily.
County and city governments have pointed out that current manpower capacity makes the task difficult to achieve, and suggested that the central government first issue "temporary permits" or similar approvals to pig farmers. Huang Chin-cheng said, "This is also a way." It will also be raised for discussion at the next meeting, to avoid a situation where the wait for review drags on endlessly while operators have no legal basis to continue raising pigs.