Taipei: Taiwan is at least three months away from regaining its African swine fever (ASF)-free status after a recent outbreak at a farm in Taichung, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced on Saturday. The country must go without any new cases for this period before it can submit a new self-declaration to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
According to Focus Taiwan, Du Li-hwa, director-general of the MOA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA), stated in a news conference that if the outbreak is well-contained, Taiwan will proceed with the necessary declaration to WOAH. Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih, who leads the Central Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) managing the infection, added that Taiwan will also formally notify its trade partners of the situation.
Taiwan has currently suspended the issuance of animal quarantine certificates for exports of live pigs, pig semen, and fresh pork products. This comes after the country had achieved the milestone of being the first in Asia to be free of African swine fever, classical swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease as of May.
The first ASF outbreak in Taiwan was confirmed at a Taichung farm, where samples from dead pigs tested positive for the virus. Consequently, the transport and slaughter of pigs have been banned nationwide, and the use of kitchen waste as pig feed has been prohibited since noon Wednesday. These control measures are expected to last 15 days, aligning with the virus’s incubation period.
Addressing concerns over a potential pork shortage, Lin Nien-nong, head of the APHIA’s Animal Health Division, stated that the ministry has coordinated with the Taiwan Frozen Food Processors Association to release existing stock to supermarkets and wholesale stores. Nationwide pork stocks currently stand at 60,000 metric tons, sufficient to meet daily consumption needs for about a month.
The Ministry of Environment has also imposed a 15-day ban on feeding kitchen waste to pigs at all hog farms in Taiwan. Farmers will receive assistance in disposing of existing kitchen waste and will be provided with fuel subsidies for transportation to designated disposal facilities.
In a separate development, the MOA suspended shipments of live pigs and pork products from the Matsu Islands to Taiwan proper until November 1. This decision followed the discovery of a dead pig on a Beigan beach, which tested positive for the ASF virus. Disinfection efforts were promptly carried out, and the CEOC suggested that the carcass may have drifted from China, as inspections of nearby farms showed no abnormalities.