Taiwan has initiated drastic emergency measures, including mass culling and a nationwide movement ban, following its first-ever detection of African Swine Fever (ASF) on the island, aiming to avert an economic catastrophe for its vital pork industry.
The government confirmed the presence of the highly contagious hog disease earlier this week after detecting the virus in a pig carcass on a farm in Taichung, a coastal city in central Taiwan.
Authorities immediately ordered the culling of more than 195 pigs at the affected site.
Concurrently, a five-day ban on pig movement and slaughter across the entire island was imposed, effective from Wednesday afternoon, to curb any further spread.
Agriculture Minister Chen Chun-Chih stated that samples from a pig that died on Tuesday tested positive for ASF. Livestock and quarantine officials swiftly moved to destroy all remaining swine and thoroughly disinfect the farm.
A three-kilometer control zone has also been established around the location where the infection was found.
While African Swine Fever does not pose a threat to humans or other animal species, it is nearly 100% fatal in pigs. Minister Chen warned that uncontrolled outbreaks could cause immense damage to the country’s livestock sector.
The most probable source of the outbreak is believed to be illegally smuggled pork products from abroad. These could have been mixed into swill fed to farm pigs.
Taiwan’s government has reinforced warnings against unauthorized imports of pork or related products. Violators face fines of up to 1 million New Taiwan Dollars, equivalent to approximately $30,800 USD.
This incident comes after major ASF crises severely impacted China and Vietnam in 2019, necessitating the culling of millions of pigs to control the disease.
According to a recent report from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), South Korea is currently the only other Asian nation grappling with ongoing ASF outbreaks. The virus also persists in 12 European countries.
Taiwanese authorities are now working to isolate the specific viral strain. This information will be reported to the WOAH.