The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency (APHIA) today said that it plans to apply to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on Feb. 21 next year to regain Taiwan’s status as free from African swine fever.
The Philippines yesterday announced that it would suspend imports of Taiwanese pork and void all previously agreed quarantine requirements after Taiwan experienced an outbreak of African swine fever at a farm in Taichung in October.
As the outbreak was linked to a singular location, no expert panel review is required and countries can typically regain certification within a year of submitting the application, provided no new cases occur, APHIA said.
Photo: Taipei Times file
After the first case was detected on a farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲) on Oct. 22, authorities voluntarily halted all pork exports and notified the WOAH.
The Philippines has also suspended imports of pork from Spain, as it recently experienced an outbreak of African swine fever.
As there have been no additional domestic outbreaks in Taiwan, APHIA is preparing documents to submit a “self-declaration” to the WOAH stating that it is free from African swine fever, APHIA Animal Quarantine Division Director Kao Huang-lin (高黃霖) said.
Regaining that status does not require the multi-stage review needed for classical swine fever or foot-and-mouth disease, which includes an expert panel, scientific committee or WOAH Assembly review, Kao said, adding that the case would instead be handled with an internal administrative review.
Once Taiwan regains its status, it can resume negotiations with the Philippines and other countries on pork exports, the timing of which would depend on market demand and whether those nations request export questionnaires or on-site inspections, Kao said.
Taiwan would fully cooperate with any requirements the Philippines puts forward, he added.
Following an outbreak of African swine fever among wild boar in Spain, Taiwan has also suspended all imports of Spanish pork, including Iberico ham and cured meats.
To resume imports of Spanish pork, Spain would also have to submit WOAH-compliant evidence proving it is free from the disease, following which Taiwan would conduct a risk assessment and only approve imports if all requirements are met, Kao said.
As the outbreak in Spain involves wild boars, it is harder to control than outbreaks among domestic pigs, he said.
Singapore previously regained its African swine fever-free status following a wild boar outbreak in Feb. 2023, he added.
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