Taiwan plans to apply to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on Feb. 21 to regain the nation’s status as free from African swine fever (ASF), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said yesterday.
The Philippines on Monday announced that it would suspend imports of Taiwanese pork and void all previously agreed quarantine requirements after Taiwan detected an ASF outbreak at a farm in Taichung in October.
As the outbreak was linked to a single location, no expert panel review is required and countries can typically regain certification within a year of submitting the application, provided that no new cases occur, the agency said.
Photo: Taipei Times
After the first case was detected on a farm in 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 last month confirmed an outbreak of ASF.
As there have been no additional domestic outbreaks, the agency is preparing documents to submit a “self-declaration” to the WOAH stating that it is ASF-free, Animal Quarantine Division Director Kao Huang-lin (高黃霖) said.
Regaining that status does not require the multistage 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 the nations request export questionnaires or on-site inspections, he said.
Taiwan would fully cooperate with any requirements the Philippines puts forward, he added.
Following the ASF outbreak among wild boars 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, after which Taiwan would conduct a risk assessment and 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 regained its ASF-free status following a wild boar outbreak in February 2023, he said.
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