Taiwan is to lift a nationwide ban on live pig transport at noon today, with slaughter, pig auctions and carcass transport to resume at midnight tomorrow, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced yesterday, as the nation is close to eliminating its first local outbreak of African swine (ASF) fever.
Officials found no evidence pointing to the spread of the disease outside of the hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲) where the first case was reported on Oct. 21, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said.
Shipments of live pigs to and pork sales from meatpacking plants would resume at midday today and midnight tomorrow respectively, following recommendations by experts, Chen told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
Lin Nien-nong (林念農), head of the Animal Health Inspection Division of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, added that to ensure a smooth reopening, 53 meat markets and slaughterhouses nationwide yesterday began large-scale disinfections under the supervision of slaughterhouse hygiene inspectors.
Pork stalls must complete disinfection before markets reopen tomorrow, while the Ministry of Economic Affairs would oversee local governments’ implementation of sterilization guidelines, and the MOA and the Ministry of Health and Welfare would supervise the cleaning of carcass transport vehicles, Lin said.
The MOA would tomorrow begin reviewing subsidy applications for financial losses incurred during the outbreak, Chen added.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
A ban on using kitchen waste to feed pigs would remain in place until the government is satisfied with the enactment of new regulations and measures aimed at ensuring waste is properly sterilized, he said.
The MOA’s investigations revealed that improperly sanitized kitchen waste was the cause of the outbreak, he said.
Fresh pork or pork that has been chilled or frozen after slaughter and offal would return to wet markets as soon as tomorrow evening and Saturday respectively, while consumers at other retail outlets would have to wait longer for the products to become available again, officials said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The Central Emergency Operations Center for African Swine Fever said the farm in Taichung, where the initial case was reported, remains under a lockdown after testing positive for traces of the ASF virus.
The military has taken over sterilization operations at the site from the Taichung City Government, which has twice tried and failed to accomplish the task, the center said.
Inspectors yesterday morning took samples from the farm to test for the virus, and expect results to be available today, it said.
Citing the World Organisation for Animal Health regulations, the center said that Taiwan must have no ASF cases for three months after the last reported incident before its ASF-free status can be restored.
The nation must establish additional sanitation measures to qualify to regain the status, including raising “sentinel” pigs in pens in areas known to be contaminated previously, it said.
Sentinel pigs act as early-warning detection to determine if a site is still contaminated with ASF.
Additional reporting by CNA
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