TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Sugar has strengthened prevention measures at its farms to minimize impact and ensure the health of its pigs, following the detection of African swine fever at a pig farm in Taichung, CNA reported.
The Ministry of Agriculture said the highly contagious and lethal ASF virus, for which there is currently no vaccine, can survive in refrigerated pork for up to 100 days and in frozen pork for up to 1,000 days. The ministry emphasized the virus poses no risk to human health.
Taiwan Sugar operates 13 pig farms across Taiwan, accounting for about 5% of the domestic pork market. To protect this supply, Company Chair Wu Ming-chang (吳明昌) outlined a series of enhanced measures currently in place.
All farm employees must change into designated work clothes and rubber boots before entering the facilities. In addition, daily inspections are conducted to ensure the farms are clean and disinfected, including the disinfection of feed trucks.
To ensure that no external contaminants are brought into the facilities, pig truck drivers are restricted from entering the farms. Farm staff are responsible for loading the pigs onto transport vehicles instead.
Strict controls have also been implemented for handling food waste, ensuring it is stored in covered containers to prevent contamination and is removed at the end of each workday.
The suspected case began when the Taichung farm reported pig deaths on Oct. 10. Initial suspicions were linked to the feeding of food waste, but the city's Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office found no signs of ASF during an on-site inspection. However, the farm had recorded 117 pig deaths by Monday, with several showing ASF symptoms.
On Tuesday, the ministry's Veterinary Research Institute conducted PCR tests on the pig carcasses, which returned positive results for the virus. This indicated a suspected ASF case, although further testing through virus strain isolation is required to confirm the final diagnosis, according to World Organization for Animal Health regulations.
In response to the infection, the ministry and the city government culled the 195 remaining pigs at the Taichung farm, buried the bodies, and disinfected the facility on Wednesday. Prevention measures have been implemented, and investigations are underway to determine the cause of the case.
The ministry announced a nationwide five-day suspension on the transport and slaughter of pigs starting Wednesday. The measure may be extended depending on the situation. Domestic slaughterhouses and meat markets have also been instructed to strengthen disinfection efforts.
Wu added that the current live pig price stands at around NT$97 (US$3.03) per kilogram. He warned that if the deaths are confirmed to be caused by ASF, pork prices could decline significantly.
