About 14,000 broiler ducks at three farms in Pingtung County’s Yanpu (鹽埔) and Kaoshu (高樹) townships were culled on Thursday after it was discovered they were infected with avian influenza, the second confirmed case in Pingtung County within a week.
Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine Director-General Chang Su-san (張淑賢) said ducks at the three farms were found to have contracted a new strain of the avian influenza H5 subtype virus on Wednesday, and a full culling was conducted at the affected farms on Thursday.
Chang said the three farms are within a 1km radius of a farm in Pingtung’s Sinyuan Township (新園), where 5,780 broiler ducks infected with the H5 subtype virus were culled last Thursday.
She said the ducks culled this week were healthy, but preventive culling was conducted in accordance with epidemic prevention regulations, adding that the bureau instructed farmers to disinfect and clean the animals’ enclosures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Ducks are potential carriers of avian influenza that exhibit few symptoms and low mortality rates when infected.
The bureau said it will now take samples from all farms within a 1km radius of the affected farms.
Any operators that refuse the bureau’s inspection will face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000 (US$913 and US$4,569), and those who fail to report any erratic farm animal deaths will face a maximum fine of NT$1 million, Chang said
The Pingtung outbreak is the latest in a series of reported cases since ducks and chickens at farms in Chiayi and Changhau counties were found infected with avian influenza late last month. The total number of ducks and chickens culled this year has exceeded 5 million, the bureau said.
The bureau said a serious outbreak might occur in the autumn, and has called on epidemic prevention officers to thoroughly disinfect affected facilities, as well as vehicles and equipment used for disease control purposes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is aware that Beijing’s treatment of Hong Kong has weakened any possible sentiment for a “one country, two systems” arrangement for Taiwan, and has instructed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) politburo member Wang Huning (王滬寧) to develop new ways of defining cross-strait relations, Japanese news magazine Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. A former professor of international politics at Fu Dan University, Wang is expected to develop a dialogue that could serve as the foundation for cross-strait unification, and Xi plans to use the framework to support a fourth term as president, Nikkei Asia quoted an anonymous source
LUCKY DATE: The man picked the 10th ‘Super Red Envelope’ in a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10 A man who recently broke up with his girlfriend won a NT$1 million (US$32,929) prize in the “NT$20 million Super Red Envelope” lottery after picking a card based on the date of their breakup, Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The man, in his 20s, bought the 10th ticket at a lottery store in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢), because he broke up with his girlfriend on Jan. 10, the store owner told the lottery company. The “Super Red Envelope” lottery was a limited offering by the company during the Lunar New Year holiday, which ended yesterday. The cards, which cost NT$2,000 each, came with
TOURISM BOOST: The transportation system could help attract more visitors to the area, as the line is to connect multiple cultural sites, a city councilor said Residents in New Taipei City’s Ankeng District (安坑) said the local light rail system might have a positive influence, but raised questions about its practicality. The Ankeng light rail system, which is to commence operations after the Lunar New Year holiday, would cut travel time for commuters from Ankeng to downtown Taipei or New Taipei City by 15 to 20 minutes, the city government said. According to the initial plan, there would be one train every 15 minutes during peak time and additional interval trains would run between the densely populated Ankang Station (安康) and Shisizhang Station (十 四張). To encourage people to
CHAMPION TREES: The team used light detection and ranging imaging to locate the tree, and found that it measured a height of 84.1m and had a girth of 8.5m A team committed to finding the tallest trees in the nation yesterday said that an 84.1m tall Taiwania cryptomerioides tree had been named the tallest tree in Taiwan and East Asia. The Taiwan Champion Trees, a team consisting of researchers from the Council of Agriculture’s Taiwan Forestry Research Institute and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), in June last year used light detection and ranging (LiDAR) imaging to find the giant tree, numbered 55214, upstream of the Daan River (大安溪). A 20-member expedition team led by Rebecca Hsu (徐嘉君), an assistant researcher at the Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, set out to find the