The Kinmen County Government has since Tuesday suspended shipments of pork and processed pork products to Taiwan proper and other outlying islands after African swine fever (ASF) was detected in a pig carcass that drifted ashore.
Regulations ban live pigs from being shipped to Taiwan proper and other outlying islands, but the announcement expands that ban to pork and processed products until Monday next week.
The Coast Guard Administration’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch found the dead pig on the shore of Wushajiao (烏沙角) in Jinning Township (金寧) on Saturday, the Kinmen County Department of Economic Development said.
Photo courtesy of the Kinmen County Government
County animal health officials collected tissue samples from the pig, disinfected the site, and incinerated and buried the carcass before disinfecting the surrounding area, it said.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Veterinary Research Institute on Monday confirmed that the sample tested positive for ASF viral nucleic acid.
Local veterinarians inspected a total of 5,886 pigs from 22 pig farms within a 10km radius of the site, and all pigs were found to be healthy, the county government said.
The Central Emergency Operation Center for ASF said it was the latest case of ASF-positive pig drifting ashore this year, bringing the number of such cases to 23 since 2018.
The case underscored the risk of ASF-infected pig carcasses drifting ashore via ocean currents and the importance of maintaining coastal patrols, prompt reporting and strict border quarantine measures, the center said.
The Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday also issued a notice suspending shipments of Kinmen pork and processed pork products to Taiwan proper and other offshore islands.
The restrictions are to remain in place until there have been no new ASF cases in Kinmen for at least one consecutive week, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, the ASF response center warned that the Mid-Autumn Festival late next month, a peak time for gift-giving and online purchases of meat products, poses a high risk for ASF prevention efforts.
The center urged people not to bring or mail mooncakes containing pork, meat jerky, sausages, cured meats or other pork products into Taiwan from ASF-affected areas such as China, or import such products through overseas online shopping platforms.
Violators face a fine of NT$200,000 (US$6,285.75) for a first offense and NT$1 million for repeat offenses, the center said.
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