TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of Agriculture on Tuesday began a second phase of African swine fever prevention, widening investigations to farms linked to the Taichung outbreak in Wuqi District.

The African Swine Fever Forward Command Center held a press conference chaired by the MOA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency Director-General Tu Li-hua (杜麗華), per CNA. Officials announced strengthened prevention measures covering 53 slaughterhouses and meat markets nationwide.

Lin Chih-hsien (林志憲), head of the agency’s planning division, said large-scale disinfection is underway at pig holding areas, waste storage zones, and adjacent facilities. Operations are under close supervision by inspectors.

Investigations have also been expanded to secondary farms linked to the infection period between Oct. 10 and Oct. 22. The first round of inspections covered 40 related facilities, including farms, slaughterhouses, and meat markets, with no abnormalities detected.

Lin said the inspections follow a tiered system involving daily local government reports. Of Taiwan’s 5,441 registered pig farms, 571 are classified as high-risk and must undergo daily checks, either on-site or via video, to confirm mortality rates and disinfection practices.

Medium- and large-sized pig carcasses from these farms will be sampled for testing, while the remaining 4,870 general farms are required only to report abnormal deaths.

According to the agency, high-risk farms include those within a 5-kilometer radius of the infected site, food waste–fed pig farms, and operations previously caught illegally feeding pigs with kitchen waste.