Taiwan has officially become the only Asian country free of classical swine fever (CSF), African swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, after the World Organiation for Animal Health (WOAH) certified its CSF-free status at the 92nd General Session held in Paris on Thursday.
CSF is a highly contagious and fatal disease of pigs that can cause hemorrhages, miscarriage or stillbirth, and has been active in Asia for decades, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The last confirmed CSF case was identified in Changhua County in 2005 and no more cases have been detected since, it said.
Photo courtesy of the New Taipei City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office
Following the termination of all CSF vaccinations on July 1, 2023, the ministry applied for the CSF-free certificate from the WOAH in August last year and earned the recognition on Thursday.
The recognition not only marked Taiwan’s achievement as the only Asian nation to be free of the three major swine diseases, but would also enhance the international credibility and competitiveness of the domestic pork farming industry, the ministry said.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Chief Veterinary Officer Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍), who accepted the certificate on behalf of Taiwan, said the achievement was thanks to industry-government-academia collaboration.
Such public-private collaboration must continue, to maintain Taiwan’s status as a country free of the three major swine diseases, she said.
Republic of China Swine Association honorary president Yang Kuan-chang (楊冠章) thanked the government and the public for supporting the hog farming industry, saying that “the honor belongs to all people of Taiwan.”
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Thursday on Facebook congratulated people working in the pork farming and processing sector, and expressed thanks to those who have aided the quarantine and epidemic prevention.
He also extended appreciation to former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former minister of agriculture Chen Chi-chung (陳吉仲), adding that he would continue the effort along with Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季).
Taiwan was hit by foot-and-mouth disease in 1997, which led to a more than NT$170 billion (US$5.68 billion) loss in the swine industry, before it was declared free of the disease by the WOAH in 2020, the ministry said.
African swine fever has stricken many countries globally and swept across Asia since 2018, but Taiwan effectively blocked the virus at its borders and was declared free of African swine fever in October last year, the ministry said.
Additional reporting by CNA
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,
LETTER, FLAG FLAP: A Chinese man and woman reportedly tried to snatch a letter meant for Taiwanese winners, while China’s team took offense at a Taiwanese flag President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday condemned an alleged attempt by two Chinese to snatch a letter of congratulations handed to Taiwan’s taekwondo team after they won silver at the Summer World University Games in Germany on Wednesday. A Chinese man and woman reportedly tried to snatch a congratulatory letter to athletes Hung Jiun-yi (洪俊義), Jung Jiun-jie (鍾俊傑) and Huang Cho-cheng (黃卓乘) from the Ministry of Education, and then argued with reporters. “Why are you taking our things?” reporters asked the pair. “Does that say ‘Chinese Taipei’?” the two Chinese reportedly asked. Following the incident, Sports Administration Director-General Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) wrote on Threads about
RSS