Xiamen customs seize hundreds of tonnes of smuggled meat

XIAMEN, Fujian - A haul of 530 tonnes of smuggled meat, including contaminated or diseased chicken wings, from Brazil and the United States, was seized at a port in Zhangzhou city, Fujian province.

The meat was incinerated by customs in East China's Xiamen city, according to police on Tuesday. The meat was destroyed by biomass power generation, which is much more environmentally friendly compared with traditional incineration.

In February, police in South China's Guangdong province, uncovered the country's biggest meat-smuggling case in a decade.

Police seized about 2,219 tonnes of smuggled beef, chicken wings and pig feet worth 200 million yuan ($31 million) on a foreign cargo ship in waters under the jurisdiction of Shenzhen. The cargo was packed in 71 containers.

Police said meat smuggling posed serious food safety dangers, as well as social harm due to tax evasion and damage to the domestic food production sector.