Government will help stabilize markets as pig transport, slaughter bans lift

At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai received a Ministry of Agriculture briefing on measures to provide guidance and stabilize pork production and sales following the upcoming lifting of pig transport and slaughter bans imposed in response to African swine fever (ASF). The premier noted that the first domestic case of ASF was confirmed on October 21. On October 22, the ASF central emergency operations center promptly initiated three successive rounds of containment and contingency measures, and a central government forward operations post was established in Taichung to assist the Taichung City Government with epidemiological investigations, disinfection and other related efforts.

Premier Cho said that, based on the findings of the central government's investigation team, the current ASF outbreak is confined to a single farm in Taichung, the site of the only confirmed case, with no indication of further spread. Accordingly, following an assessment by the ASF central emergency operations center, the government will remove the bans on pig auctions, slaughter, carcass transport and pork sales, effective midnight on November 7.

The premier nevertheless emphasized that disease prevention efforts must not weaken despite the lifting of these bans. He called for closer collaboration between the central and local governments to identify and promptly address potential vulnerabilities, and urged local authorities to closely monitor pig farms within their jurisdictions and implement robust biosecurity measures. The sustainability of Taiwan's pig farming industry can only be ensured through nationwide cooperation, he said.