Taiwan regains self-declared ASF-free status from WOAH

Taipei, April 6 (CNA) Taiwan has restored its status as a self-declared African swine fever (ASF)-free area with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) announced Monday.

Following WOAH's acknowledgment, Taiwan is once again the only country in Asia free of the three major swine diseases -- foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, and ASF, the ministry said in a statement.

WOAH recognized Taiwan's self-declaration of freedom from African swine fever (ASF) in May last year, with the country becoming the first in Asia to hold disease-free status for all three swine diseases.

However, in October of that same year, Taiwan reported its first-ever ASF case, involving a farm outbreak in Taichung.

The case was formally closed and reported to WOAH on Jan. 23 this year in accordance with required procedures, after the affected farm was cleaned and disinfected and all samples collected after Nov. 21, 2025, came back negative.

The MOA said it submitted an application on Feb. 21 this year to regain self-declared ASF-free status.

"The application passed WOAH's rigorous review in just over one month, far faster than its original estimate," the ministry said, referring to the six to eight months it had estimated to take to regain the status.

The result "demonstrates Taiwan's thorough preparation and familiarity with international animal quarantine standards .... It also highlights Taiwan's strong epidemic prevention resilience," the MOA said.