Taiwan seeks to regain ASF-free status with WOAH

Taipei, Feb. 21 (CNA) Taiwan has officially submitted an application to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) to regain its status as free from African swine fever (ASF), the Ministry of Agriculture said Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry said the application was submitted Saturday, the first day the threshold for applying for reinstatement was met.

Under the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code, member states may submit a self-declaration application three months after cleaning and disinfection are completed at the last affected site, a threshold met on Feb. 21, the ministry said.

Taiwan has recorded only one domestic ASF case since 2005, linked to a farm outbreak in Taichung in October 2025. After that case was reported, the affected farm was cleaned and disinfected, and samples collected tested negative on Nov. 21, 2025, the ministry said.

No positive cases have been detected since, and the case was formally closed and reported to the WOAH on Jan. 23, 2026, after epidemiological investigations and intensive monitoring found no evidence of continued virus circulation, the ministry said.

Taiwan became the first country in Asia to be free of African swine fever, classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease in May 2025.

The confirmed ASF outbreak in Taichung later in the year, however, led to the loss of its WOAH-recognized ASF-free status.