Taiwan is to apply for recognition as a region free of classical swine fever, as it has now been a full year since vaccinations have been administered, the Ministry of Agriculture said today.
The last case of classical swine fever in Taiwan was detected in Changhua County in 2005, the ministry said in a news release.
From 2021 to 2022, agricultural authorities implemented a mass vaccination program in conjunction with environmental risk monitoring and information sessions with producers, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Vaccinations ended in July last year, followed up by continued monitoring, it added.
Now that it has been a year since vaccinations ended, the ministry said it would apply with the World Organisation for Animal Health to be recognized as free of classical swine fever.
If the application is approved, Taiwan is to be the only country or region in Asia to be declared free of all three major swine-borne diseases: foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever and African swine fever.
Recognition would save on personnel and vaccination costs, as well as losses resulting from vaccination side effects, the ministry said.
It would not only boost the competitiveness of Taiwan’s pork and swine industry, but show the success of the nation’s animal health initiatives, it added.
The ministry vowed to continue talks with export markets to aid with the expansion and profitability of the industry.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
A new message broadcast on the Taipei MRT’s Wenhu (Brown) Line urging passengers to yield their seats to those in need, not necessarily elderly people, would be extended to other MRT lines and public transportation in the capital, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday. Chiang was responding to reporters’ questions on the sidelines of a news conference at Taipei City Hall promoting healthy walking. Several disputes over priority seats on public transportation have recently been reported, sparking debate about who qualifies to sit in them, as most of the cases involved elderly people asking young people to give up their
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s