1. Original pork sample tests positive

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Taichung Health Bureau yesterday announced that retests of specimens from the original pack of Taiwan Sugar Corp pork product that last week tested positive for cimbuterol again turned out positive for the illegal leanness-enhancing substance. The announcement led to prompt and wide inspections of Taisugar’s pig farms, slaughterhouse and factory, as well as multiple tests for traces of beta-agonists in animal feeds, pig blood serum, pig hair and specimens from Taisugar’s pork products, including from the same batch of products, by the company, as well as the central and local governments.

2. Travelers should not bring meat products into Taiwan, ministry says

A woman's appeal against a NT$200,000 fine imposed for bringing meat products into Taiwan and failing to apply for import quarantine inspection last year was rejected, but she was given permission to pay the fine in installments, the Ministry of Justice’s Administrative Enforcement Agency said on Monday, while separately a Ministry of Agriculture official said people should not bring meat products from other countries into Taiwan due to the risk of African swine fever (ASF).