Taiwan imposes disease controls amid suspected ASF outbreak

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) on Wednesday announced a series of emergency measures to control a suspected domestic outbreak of African swine fever (ASF).

● Taiwan reports first suspected outbreak of African swine fever

Under the new measures, the transport and slaughter of pigs will be banned nationwide for five days, starting Wednesday, and the use of kitchen waste as pig feed will be prohibited, the ministry said.

Pigs already in transit to slaughterhouses or meat markets will be culled and tested for ASF at the facilities instead of being sent back to their farms, while the vehicles and markets will be disinfected, the MOA said.

Other measures include expanded inspections of pig farms, a suspension of pork exports, and the use of frozen pork to meet domestic demand, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the public is advised not to purchase pork products online or bring them into the country, the Customs Administration said, adding that it will tighten inspections of imported food products.

The new measures were implemented after the MOA said Wednesday that pigs on a farm in Wuqi District, Taichung, central Taiwan, tested positive for the nucleic acid of the ASF virus.

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

Pigs on the farm were tested after 117 of them died between Oct. 10 and 20, MOA officials said at a press conference. The farm had about 300 pigs, which were being fed with food waste, the MOA said.

At first, a vet suspected that the pigs were dying of pneumonia and was treating them for that, but as the deaths spiked to 117, samples were eventually collected and sent to the MOA's Veterinary Research Institute for testing, according to MOA officials.

On Tuesday morning, the institute confirmed the presence of ASF nucleic acid in the samples, indicating a possible domestic outbreak of African swine fever, the officials said.

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

A three-kilometer control zone was also established around the area, covering two nearby farms, which will remain under strict movement and health monitoring, the officials said.

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