ASF found in pig carcass in Kinmen; pork shipments suspended

Taipei, Aug. 25 (CNA) The outlying Kinmen County has suspended shipments of pork and processed pork products to Taiwan proper and other offshore islands through Aug. 31 after African swine fever (ASF) was detected in the carcass of a pig that drifted ashore.

Under existing regulations, live pigs from Kinmen are already banned from being shipped to Taiwan proper and other offshore islands.

In response to the latest case, however, the Kinmen County government announced Tuesday that shipments of pork and processed pork products would also be suspended from Aug. 25 through Aug. 31.

The dead pig was found on the shoreline at Wushajiao in Jinning Township on Saturday by the Coast Guard Administration's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch, according to a press release from the Kinmen County Department of Economic Development.

County animal health officials collected tissue samples, disinfected the site, and incinerated and buried the carcass before disinfecting the surrounding area.

Laboratory testing by the Ministry of Agriculture's Veterinary Research Institute confirmed on Monday that the sample tested positive for ASF viral nucleic acid.

Following the discovery, local veterinarians inspected 22 pig farms with a total of 5,775 pigs within a 10-kilometer radius of the site. All pigs were found to be healthy, the county government said.

Taiwan's Central Emergency Operation Center for ASF said the latest case brings the total number of ASF-positive drift pig cases detected since 2018 to 23. It was the third such case this year.

The center said the case underscored the continuing risk of ASF-infected pig carcasses drifting ashore via ocean currents and the importance of maintaining coastal patrols, prompt reporting and strict border quarantine measures.

The Ministry of Agriculture also issued a notice Tuesday suspending shipments of Kinmen pork and processed pork products to Taiwan proper and other offshore islands.

The restrictions will remain in place until there have been no new ASF cases in Kinmen for at least one consecutive week, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the ASF response center warned that the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in late September, a peak season for gift-giving and online purchases of meat products, posed a higher risk for ASF prevention efforts.

The center urged people not to bring or mail mooncakes containing pork, meat jerky, sausages, cured meats or other pork products into Taiwan from ASF-affected areas such as mainland China, or import such products through overseas online shopping platforms.

Violators face fines of NT$200,000 (US$6,278) for a first offense and NT$1 million for repeat offenses, the center said.