Pork-related businesses express concern over ASF disease controls

Taipei, Oct. 22 (CNA) Multiple eateries in Changhua County said their stores may have to temporarily close in the wake of disease control measures announced by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) Wednesday to curb a suspected domestic African swine fever (ASF) outbreak.

The controls were rolled out after pigs on a farm in Taichung, central Taiwan, tested positive for the virus on Tuesday, following 117 deaths from Oct. 10-20, officials from the MOA said.

● Taiwan reports first suspected outbreak of African swine fever

● Taiwan imposes disease controls amid suspected ASF outbreak

The measures include banning the transport and slaughter of pigs nationwide for at least five days and prohibiting the use of kitchen waste as pig feed.

The eatery owners in Changhua say they purchase freshly slaughtered pork as ingredients for their signature ba-wan and braised pork rice dishes, so there will likely be a lack of supply due to the slaughter ban.

Some expressed hope the government will assist them in their predicament.

Ba-wan is a translucent Taiwanese dumpling made of starch and rice flour, filled with meat (usually pork) and vegetables. It is a famous local dish in Changhua.

Meanwhile, in Pingtung County in southern Taiwan, home to the largest number of domestic pig farms with 1,285 sites, businesses are also concerned about the government's announced restrictions.

Fang Chih-yuan (方志源), chairperson of the Pingtung Black Pig Farming Association, said it is currently difficult to estimate losses, as it is unclear how policies will unfold going forward.

However, the ban on feeding kitchen waste to pigs will hit black pig breeders harder, as black pigs take about a year to raise compared with six months for white pigs, making feed costs higher, he said.

Fang said the association supports banning kitchen waste as pig feed, but butchery scraps from non-infectious sources should still be allowed, otherwise rising costs could discourage farmers from breeding and cause the black pig market to collapse.

A butcher identified by his surname Yang (楊) echoed the sentiment that the impact of the measures is difficult to gauge.

Currently, the industry is worried that the transport and slaughter bans may be extended indefinitely, he said.