TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) announced Wednesday that the Philippine government has approved the resumption of Taiwanese pork imports.
Cho said Taiwan had received an official notification confirming that exports of live pigs, porcine semen, frozen pork, offal, and pork skin would resume May 14, CNA reported.
Taiwan reported its first case of African swine fever (ASF) in October and immediately took action to contain and eliminate it. After being notified of the outbreak in November, the Philippines conducted a risk assessment and officially announced the suspension of imports of live pigs and pork products from Taiwan on Dec. 8, per CNA.
In February, Taiwan submitted an application to be reinstated as an ASF-free country. The World Organisation for Animal Health recognized Taiwan’s ASF-free status on April 6, making it the only country in Asia to be free of all three major swine diseases: foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever, and ASF.
Cho said in a Facebook post that the government will continue working with the pork industry to ensure Taiwanese pork can be sold globally. Singapore has already resumed imports of Taiwanese pork, and efforts are ongoing to reopen the Japanese market, according to Cho.
