29-year-old Tran Thi Bao Trang was fined $6,000 in Court today, for illegally importing 330 pieces of embryonated quail eggs into Singapore.

2.         On 17 October 2018, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers detected 330 quail eggs in a carton box lined with plastic egg trays at Changi Airport. The box was brought in as checked baggage by Tran. The case was referred to Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) for investigation.

330 illegally imported quail eggs were found concealed in a carton box at Changi Airport (Photos: AVA)

3.         AVA’s investigation found that the eggs contained developing quail embryos. Tran had contravened the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act (Chapter 349A) for importing quail eggs from non-approved sources.

Public advisory

4.         The import of food, including meat and eggs, and their products, are regulated for animal health and food safety reasons. Meat and eggs, and their products, can only be imported from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with our food safety standards and requirements. The maximum penalty for importing food products from unapproved sources is $50,000 and/or imprisonment of up to two years for the first conviction. In the case of a second or subsequent conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and/or imprisonment of up to three years.

5.       Illegally imported food products are from unknown sources. Apart from food safety concerns, AVA has to remain vigilant to prevent diseases such as bird flu from being introduced into Singapore through such food products. While Singapore is free from bird flu, the disease is endemic in the region. Illegally imported food products, which may not have undergone the necessary heat treatment to inactivate the virus, is a risk for public and animal health.

6.       Our borders are our first line of defence in safeguarding Singapore's safety and security. The security checks are critical to our nation’s security. The ICA will continue to conduct security checks on passengers and vehicles at the checkpoints to prevent attempts to smuggle in undesirable persons, drugs, weapons, explosives and other contrabands. The AVA will also continue to safeguard food safety and ensure animal health through our integrated food safety system, which includes strict import regulations and enforcement, and work closely with border control agencies to deter illegal import across borders.

7.       The ICA and AVA would like to remind travellers against bringing food products into Singapore without a proper licence. The public can refer to AVA’s website or download AVA’s mobile app, SG TravelKaki (available free-of-charge from iTunes and the Google Play store), for more information on travellers’ allowances for food products from overseas travels.

AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY
IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
29 OCTOBER 2018