Taiwan would likely be recognized as free of classical swine fever (CSF) by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in May, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday.
The WOAH’s Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases has approved Taiwan’s application for recognition, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency Director-General Hsu Jung-pin (徐榮彬) said.
The application is in the WOAH’s 60-day review period, Hsu said.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
If no other WOAH member countries object, Taiwan’s CSF-free status would be officially passed during the organization’s General Session of the World Assembly of Delegates at the end of May, he said.
It is likely that Taiwan would be certified, as objecting countries must submit scientific evidence to back any challenges, he added.
CSF is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease that poses a great threat to the pig farming industry, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said.
Taiwan eliminated its last case of CSF in 2005, after which it implemented measures to control the spread of the disease, including vaccine immunity, monitoring and reporting, and strengthening biosecurity measures, it said.
In July 2023, Taiwan ended CSF vaccinations and set up a monitoring mechanism to evaluate whether the nation was free of the virus, while border quarantine was enhanced, it said.
After monitoring and rigorous evaluation of whether Taiwan was eligible to apply for CSF-free status, an application was submitted to the WOAH in August last year, the agency said.
The WOAH’s panel of experts reviewed and determined that the quarantine strategies and monitoring data submitted by Taiwan conformed with the Terrestrial Animal Health Code’s standards for CSF-free countries, and approved the application on Feb. 20, it said.
If Taiwan receives CSF-free certification, it would be the only country in Asia to be free from CSF, foot-and-mouth disease and African swine fever, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Once certified CSF-free, Taiwan may enter into talks about quarantine conditions to export pork to Japan, the ministry said.
Taiwan has been promoting dishes made with Taiwanese pork in Japan in the past few years, piquing the interest of Japanese businesses, said Hung Hsiao-chun (洪曉君), the deputy head of the ministry’s Department of International Affairs.
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