Taiwan could become the first Asian nation that is not affected by three major swine diseases next year should the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) approve the government’s application to become a swine fever-free country.
The Ministry of Agriculture applied because no swine fever cases were found for a year after the government stopped requiring domestically grown pigs to be inoculated.
If the application is approved, it would be an important milestone for Taiwan’s pig farming industry and show the nation has eliminated the spread of foot and mouth disease, African swine fever and classical swine fever, the agricultural ministry said, adding that Taiwan could be granted the status of swine fever-free nation next year.
Photo courtesy of Chiayi County Government
The status would also help expand the international market for Taiwanese pork, the ministry said.
Swine fever is a category-A zoonotic disease in Taiwan with a high mortality rate and can cause systemic hemorrhaging and stillbirths in pigs, it said, adding that countries are required to report swine fever cases to the WOAH.
While most Asian nations have been affected by swine fever-related diseases, the last case of swine fever detected in Taiwan was in Changhua County in 2005, the ministry said.
The government planned to make Taiwan a swine fever-free nation in three phases, the ministry said.
During the first phase between 2021 and 2022, all domestically-reared pigs had to be vaccinated against swine fever, it said.
The government also closely monitors environmental risks associated with the disease and communicates with pig farm industry representatives about related issues, the ministry said.
The government last year began the second phase by continuing to monitor environmental risks for the disease and gradually stopping swine fever vaccine injections, the ministry said.
During the third phase, which is to begin this month, the agricultural ministry filed an application to become a swine fever-free nation, it said.
The measure to gradually discontinue vaccinating domestically reared pigs was implemented in two stages, the ministry said.
In the first stage, which lasted from January to June last year, pigs were no longer required to be vaccinated against swine fever, except for breeding pigs, the ministry said.
In the second stage, which began in July last year, all pigs are exempt from vaccination, it said.
“We have found no traces of swine fever field virus strains after closely monitoring their activities for one year, which meets the WOAH’s requirement to apply to become a swine fever-free nation,” the ministry said.
Obtaining “swine fever-free” status would reduce the cost of raising pigs by reducing expenditure on additional personnel and vaccines, the ministry said.
It could also minimize financial losses that pig farmers could sustain from pigs dying of the side effects of vaccination, it said, adding that the global competitiveness of Taiwanese pork could also be enhanced.
The ministry said that it would take further action to help the pork industry cope with the challenges and impacts of free trade, including negotiating with target countries for pork exports and assisting pig farms and slaughterhouses to upgrade their facilities and obtain certifications.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS