Taiwan’s first African swine fever (ASF) case has been confirmed and would soon be reported to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) yesterday.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Research Institute yesterday completed the analysis of samples collected on Tuesday from dead pigs at a hog farm in Taichung and found they were ASF-positive.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency Animal Quarantine Division chief Lin Nien-nung (林念農) said the result would be reported to the WOAH and Taiwan’s major trade partners would also be notified, adding that pork exports would be suspended.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
As of Friday, all samples collected from 40 hog farms and a rendering plant linked to the African swine fever-affected farm through hog or carcass transport vehicles had tested negative, he said, adding that all involved kitchen waste collection trucks had been disinfected.
As the truck that delivered pigs to the Daan Meat Market had visited five slaughterhouses, the agency would also conduct inspections at those places, he said.
Local governments have inspected 4,165 hog farms as of yesterday, he said, adding that inspections of all 5,439 farms nationwide are expected to be completed by noon today.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kun, Taipei Times
The ministry has asked the Taiwan Frozen Meat Packers Association to help supply frozen pork to domestic sales channels amid the ban on transporting and slaughtering pigs, Lin said.
The national pork stockpile of 60,000 tonnes would be enough to meet domestic demand for a month, he said.
The 170,000 tonnes of chicken stockpile could be used as an alternative protein source and help meet demand for up to two months, he added.
The Ministry of Environment also launched fuel subsidy program for hog farms to assist in the transportation of kitchen waste to designated processing sites, Lin said.
Farms holding a reutilization certificate are eligible for the program, and the subsidy ranges between NT$500 and NT$1,167 per day, depending on the scale of the farm, he said.
Regarding the dead pig found on a beach in Lienchiang County, Lin said that tests have confirmed the pig had ASF.
The pig has been processed and buried, and the surrounding area has been cleaned and disinfected, he said, adding that the authorities have inspected all three hog farms in the county and found no abnormal deaths.
As some garbage found around the pig had simplified Chinese characters, the pig likely drifted to Taiwan from across the Strait, Lin said.
The agriculture ministry has announced a ban on transporting pork, perishable food and processed products from Lienchiang County for seven days from yesterday, he said.
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