Good news for Italian pork meat and cold cuts export. Taiwan’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine (BAPHIQ) has finally formalized that Italy is free from African swine flu, with the exception of Sardinia. Thanks to the opening of Taiwan’s market we are about to reach 23 million customers with our meat and cold cuts. Italian products are already very much appreciated in Taiwan – said President of Assica (Italian Association of Meat and Cold Cuts Companies) Nicola Levoni. Good news from Taiwan – Mr. Levoni said – give confidence to our associated producers, which have for years been living the sector’s difficulties. Taiwan is now giving a positive signal, just like the Philippines last December.
THE APPROVAL – Taiwan’s authorities accepted to recognize the principle of “regionalisation” of Italy as for African swine flu. It’s a necessary precondition for the future opening of the Taiwanese market to Italian pork meat and cold cuts. Until yesterday this was one of the few countries where Italian meat export was banned entirely, due to the presence of African swine flu in Sardinia. In 2014, some inspectors from Taiwan carried out a mission in Italy to evaluate the official controls on meat. Last November, a delegation of BAPHIQ’s food experts discussed with the European Commission over the organization of the animal health’s inspections in the EU and the quarantine in the pork meat and poultry trade. In Italy, the Taiwanese delegation met some Efsa experts in Parma to discuss the Italian meat dossier and visited a cold cuts plant. The final formalization has come on 8 March 2017.