The average annual consumption of meat per person in Taiwan is 87.2kg, of which pork accounts for 35.6kg, or more than 40 percent, making pork the primary source of meat for Taiwan’s population, a 2023 Ministry of Agriculture food supply and demand report showed.
Meat consumption has surpassed that of grains in the past few years, and pork is the main contributor to the change. Thus, the stability of pork consumption not only affects people’s daily lives, but is also crucial to the overall security of Taiwan’s livestock industry.
For several years, Taiwan has performed exceptionally well with animal epidemic prevention. Since the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak of 1997, the nation has maintained a record of zero cases of African swine fever (ASF), for which it has repeatedly received international recognition.
That changed last month, when samples from a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲) tested positive for ASF viral nucleic acid, marking Taiwan’s first confirmed case of domestic ASF infection.
The incident should serve as a reminder that even a long-standing, robust epidemic prevention system can have gaps due to delays in local reporting, monitoring and response. Thus, shortening the delays between the reporting of an outbreak and its confirmation, along with enhancing coordination between central and local authorities, are critical in strengthening Taiwan’s epidemic governance.
Taiwan introduced its traceable agricultural product (TAP) system — a framework for standardized operating procedures, specific agricultural practices and management disclosures for traceability — as early as 2003, and in 2007 enacted the Agricultural Production and Certification Act (農產品生產及驗證管理法).
The core purpose of the system, now in place for more than 20 years, is to establish a complete tracking record from farming, slaughtering, processing and transportation to retail, effectively providing every hog with a clear identification code.
In the event of an outbreak, the traceability records could promptly identify the source and flow of the infection to reduce the scope of culling required and market panic, while helping the government identify which products are safe and protect consumer rights and interests.
However, if the system remains stuck at the level of documentation and demonstration without being fully integrated into local administration processes and practical operations, it would struggle to be effective.
Last month’s ASF incident demonstrates that epidemic prevention measures are more than just culling and disinfection; they also involve information transparency, risk communication and responsible governance.
Integrating digital labels and real-time monitoring — such as using radio frequency identification or blockchain technology to record data on feed, medication, testing and transportation — could help establish a more precise network of epidemic prevention data.
The emergence of ASF, while a significant shock, presents an opportunity to upgrade the existing system. If the government could use this as a turning point to promote the widespread adoption of TAP — thereby making safety and traceability the new standard for domestically produced pork — it could restore public confidence and lay a stronger foundation for the next two decades of food safety.
Yeh Cheng-hsing is a civil servant section chief.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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