Taiwan is aiming to export fresh pork to Japan and processed pork products to the US, after becoming the only country in Asia free of African swine fever, classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), an agricultural official said yesterday.
Taiwan was a major supplier of fresh pork to Japan until a severe FMD outbreak in March 1997 drastically curtailed its exports.
Photo: Taipei Times
In 2020, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) officially recognized Taiwan as free of FMD without vaccination, paving the way for the resumption of fresh pork exports.
Taiwan resumed fresh pork exports to the Philippines in September 2023, the first shipment in more than two decades. It then resumed fresh pork exports to Singapore earlier this year, following a 15-year hiatus.
Taiwan was recognized as free of ASF last year and declared free of classical swine fever in May this year, making it the only country in Asia free of all three major swine diseases. The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) views this milestone as a golden opportunity to showcase the quality of Taiwanese pork on the global stage.
With Taiwan now free of all three major swine diseases, pork export negotiations are more favorable, and Japan is expected to be the next key market for fresh pork, said Hung Hsiao-chun (洪曉君), deputy head of the MOA's Department of International Affairs and incoming head of the agricultural division at Taiwan's US representative office.
Processed pork products — frozen, dried, or vacuum-packed after high-temperature treatment — have longer shelf lives and generally face fewer import hurdles than fresh pork, giving them broader export potential, Hung told CNA by telephone.
According to Hung, Taiwan's processed meats are already exported to Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia, but not yet to the US or Europe.
The MOA believes being free of swine diseases helps Taiwan's pork exports. However, there are still concerns over having enough pigs and maintaining a steady supply.
Yang Min-jui (楊旻叡), an executive at Sings Kout Meat in Pingtung County, said that pork prices in Taiwan are currently high and not very competitive. There are not enough pigs to meet domestic demand, let alone for steady exports, he added.
Yang said reopening pork exports to Japan would benefit both countries, but the government must first stabilize prices and increase pig production to improve export competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Lin Jeng-shiang (林正祥), director-general of the Taiwan Frozen Food Processors Association, pointed out that Taiwan's pig population currently meets about 90 percent of domestic demand, with the rest covered by imports.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
A Taiwanese academic yesterday said that Chinese Ambassador to Denmark Wang Xuefeng (王雪峰) disrespected Denmark and Japan when he earlier this year allegedly asked Japan’s embassy to make Taiwan’s representatives leave an event in Copenhagen. The Danish-language Berlingske on Sunday reported the incident in an article with the headline “The emperor’s birthday ended in drama in Copenhagen: More conflict may be on the way between Denmark and China.” It said that on Feb. 26, the Japanese embassy in Denmark held an event for Japanese Emperor Naruhito’s birthday, with about 200 guests in attendance, including representatives from Taiwan. After addressing the Japanese hosts, Wang
RSS