After officially confirming a suspected case of ASF, the Ministry of Agriculture imposed a five-day nationwide ban on the transport and slaughter of pigs, as well as a prohibition on the use of kitchen waste as animal feed.
Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih told lawmakers that, while the containment measures may have a short-term economic impact, they are crucial to prevent catastrophic consequences for the industry.
“If containment efforts fail, losses in the pig sector alone could reach NT$80 billion, while related industries could lose over NT$100 billion,” the minister stated.
According to Chen, preliminary genetic sequencing of samples has confirmed the presence of the ASF virus, with a full genomic analysis still underway. The minister listed contaminated food waste, smuggled pork, human transmission, and breaches in farm biosecurity as possible sources of infection.
To stabilize the market, the government plans to intensify disinfection at slaughterhouses and marketplaces, release frozen pork reserves to maintain supply, and temporarily replace pork with other meats in school meals.
Premier Cho Jung-tai convened an emergency government meeting, directing all ministries to implement the highest-level containment measures, including stricter border inspections, cargo checks, and preventive farm disinfection.
African swine fever remains one of the most serious threats to the global pork industry. Until now, Taiwan had been the only country in Asia recognized as free of ASF, maintaining one of the strictest biosecurity systems in the region. However, the confirmation of the virus could become a major challenge for Taiwan’s pork sector, which contributes around US$2.3 billion annually to the national economy.
PigUA.info based on materials from rti.org.tw