According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture, tests on pigs from a farm in the Wuqi District of Taichung City confirmed ASF infection after 117 pigs died between October 10 and 20.
Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih stated that 195 pigs have already been culled, and an investigation has been launched to identify the source of the infection.
In response to the outbreak, authorities have imposed a five-day nationwide ban on the transport and slaughter of pigs starting Wednesday, and have also prohibited the use of kitchen waste as pig feed.
Pork is a key part of Taiwanese cuisine and a major component of the country’s agricultural economy, generating around NT$70 billion (US$ 2.3 billion) annually.
Before this incident, Taiwan had been the only country in Asia officially recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) as free from African swine fever, classical swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease.
This outbreak underscores the urgent need to strengthen biosecurity measures and ensure stricter oversight in Taiwan’s pig industry — both to protect animal health and safeguard a sector vital to the nation’s economy.
PigUA.info based on materials from FocusTaiwan.tw