African swine fever control measures to last 15 days: MOA

Taipei, Oct. 23 (CNA) The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said Thursday that the ban on slaughtering, transporting, and feeding pigs with kitchen waste will remain in place for at least 15 days in an effort to stop the potential spread of African swine fever (ASF) in Taiwan.

When asked about the length of the three bans at the Legislative Yuan, Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said the ASF virus has a 15 day incubation period, and the ministry will check for new cases every five days.

If no new cases have been reported after 15 days, the measures will be lifted, said Chen.

The ban on slaughtering and transporting pigs was initially put in place for five days, starting Wednesday noon, while the ban on feeding pigs with kitchen waste was announced with no end date.

Oct. 22: Premier announces measures to counter suspected ASF outbreak

The MOA currently has no plans to permanently ban feeding pigs with kitchen waste, as there is still no confirmation as to what caused the suspected outbreak, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hu Jong-i (胡中一) told the press after a weekly Cabinet meeting.

He added that the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) allows kitchen waste to be used as feed as long as it is cooked in temperatures over 90 degrees Celsius for at least an hour to ensure it is sterilized.

At a separate news conference, Taichung City Councilor Lin Te-yu (林德宇) from the Democratic Progressive Party questioned if sterilization was done according to WOAH standards at the pig farm in Wuqi District, Taichung in central Taiwan, where the suspected outbreak was reported.

He said the city government should disclose operating records of kitchen waste cooking devices at the farm, and step up investigations of pig farms to ensure that all cases of possible ASF pig deaths are accounted for.