The gene sequencing results of Taiwan’s first cases of African swine fever (ASF), which could help determine the virus’ source, would be released tomorrow at the earliest, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
The cases were publicly confirmed on Wednesday last week following an outbreak at a pig farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲).
Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) told the legislature that the sequencing would be matched with results uploaded by other countries to determine similarity and infer the origin.
Photo: CNA
However, China has not uploaded its gene sequencing data, he added.
Out of the 9,511 samples from illegally imported pork products, brought in or discarded at the border, from 2018 to Thursday last week, 997 tested positive for the ASF virus, the ministry said.
Of them, 147 were from China, 13 from Vietnam and Thailand.
Taiwan has never had ASF, so the first case must have been imported, Chen said, adding that preventing its spread through investigations and sterilizing food waste is a priority to eradicate it, he said.
Subsidies for the pork industry would be announced by Saturday, after related budgets are reported to the Executive Yuan, he said.
Subsidies for culled pigs would likely be conditional, and while it could not implement a price guarantee, the government would stabilize the quantity of pork in the wholesale market after a transportation and slaughter ban is lifted, with a monitored price and further adjustments on the way, he said.
Officials are still debating whether eateries serving pork dishes should receive subsidies, which would be difficult to determine, he added.
Meanwhile, Taichung Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) told a news conference in the city that triplicate forms documenting the disposal of dead pigs were tampered with, leading to discrepancies in reported figures.
The evidence was sent to prosecutors for investigation on Sunday and Tuesday, Cheng said.
The forms are important for ASF mortality statistics and case investigations, with one copy kept by the rendering plant, one by local animal health authorities and one by the hog farmer, officials said.
Regarding the economic impact of the outbreak, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said that 400 fresh meat vendors in the city were affected by supply shortages, with some forced to close.
Public markets would temporarily waive rental fees, and central and local governments are working to provide additional compensation, she said.
Meanwhile, a veterinarian aide surnamed Wang (王), who was consulted by the farm where the outbreak was detected, was questioned by prosecutors yesterday to determine whether he had illegally prescribed medication for pigs, which only licensed veterinarians are authorized to do, the Taichung City Government said.
The hog farm owner told investigators that he had consulted Wang, who had reported the abnormal deaths of pigs at the farm, when he found pigs dying before administering drugs to the animals, the government said.
Wang — who left the country after the incident, but returned on Tuesday — could face a fine of NT$100,000 to NT$500,000, it said.
He was summoned yesterday morning to ascertain if the Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease (動物傳染病防治條例) had been contravened, prosecutors said.
He was released after being questioned as a witness and consented to have his mobile phone examined for evidence, they added.
Additional reporting by Tsai Shu-yuan
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
RSS