Premier announces measures to counter suspected ASF outbreak

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Wednesday announced a series of new measures, including enhanced border inspections and the release of frozen pork onto the market, in response to a suspected outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in Taichung.

Speaking at a press conference, Cho said the government would immediately begin an outbreak investigation to determine how the pigs became infected with ASF.

● Taiwan reports first suspected outbreak of African swine fever

● Taiwan imposes disease controls amid suspected ASF outbreak

In order to stabilize market supply amid a five-day ban on slaughtering pigs, the government will release supplies of frozen pork, with priority given to use in school lunches, Cho said.

The government will also set up an on-site response unit in Taichung, increase inspections at points along the domestic pork supply chain, and enhance pork-related border checks and anti-smuggling efforts, Cho said.

In addition to keeping the public updated, the government will also fulfill its international obligations by reporting developments in the case as necessary, he added.

Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Wednesday that pigs on a farm in Wuqi District, Taichung, tested positive for the nucleic acid of the ASF virus on Tuesday.

The MOA said further tests are needed to formally confirm an ASF outbreak, which are being conducted in accordance with World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) guidelines.

Testing was undertaken after 117 of the roughly 300 pigs on the farm died between Oct. 10-20. The pigs were being fed on food waste -- a practice the government banned on Wednesday.

Early Wednesday, 195 pigs on the farm were culled, the carcasses were buried, and the premises disinfected, in a bid to eliminate any trace of the virus, the MOA said.

In Yunlin County, Taiwan's top pork producing municipality, County Magistrate Chang Li-shan (張麗善) noted that Yunlin banned the use of food waste as pig feed in 2018, because of the risk it could contain contaminated meat from overseas.

The central government should ban the practice permanently, she said.

With over 1,200 pig farms, Yunlin is home to 1.51 million of the roughly 5 million pigs raised in Taiwan each year, followed by Pingtung with around 1 million.

In May, Taiwan became the only country in Asia to be declared free of African swine fever, classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, by the WOAH.