TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An international airline passenger was handed a hefty fine and deported for bringing a lunch box containing pork into Taiwan.
An Indonesian traveler flying from Hong Kong to Taiwan on April 30 packed an unfinished “roast pork and chicken rice combo” meal, reported SET News. Upon arrival at Taoyuan airport, a quarantine detector dog sniffed out the meat at customs, and the passenger was fined NT$200,000 (US$6,200).
Unable to pay the fine, the traveler was transferred to the National Immigration Agency for deportation. The traveler must pay the fine in full to enter Taiwan again.
Chou Hsiao-mei (周曉梅), team leader of the Animal Quarantine Team of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), was cited by SET News as saying, "We have been communicating with airlines, advising them to avoid using pork in meals from countries affected by African swine fever to prevent passengers from taking leftovers off the plane."
According to quarantine regulations, items brought into Taiwan without declaration are prohibited. This includes mistakenly brought souvenirs like meat dumplings, pastries with meat, hot spring-boiled eggs, and roast meat meals.
Meat, milk, fruits and vegetables, plants, seeds, and live insects must be discarded before entry or declared at the animal and plant quarantine counters to avoid fines.
Before landing, airplanes play instructional videos. After landing, there are announcements, signs, and disposal boxes along the way to remind travelers.
Taiwan has strictly banned the importation of all pork products by passengers to prevent the spread of African swine fever.