TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) will continue to import eggs as the threat from bird flu has not subsided, reports said Saturday (Nov. 4).

The policy began last winter but met with sharp criticism after allegations of fraud, including the mislabeling of expiry dates and places of origin. Even though the government denied any involvement, Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲) resigned in September.

Despite a number of eggs having to be destroyed because they reached their expiry date, egg imports are continuing, per CNA. The MOA said that with the risk of bird flu increasing during the winter, the country needed to maintain a stock of eggs in case of shortages.

If local production recovers and the danger of bird flu declines, priority will go to local eggs to build up stocks, according to the MOA. The number of eggs facing destruction past their expiry date has increased by 1.5 million to 55.8 million because demand from egg processing businesses fell.

The MOA said it was pursuing a policy of flexible adaptation, with a balance between local production and imports. At present, there was a contract with Australia for the import of 1.28 million eggs per month, but if production by farms in Taiwan picked up, the agreement might be revised.