Africa Digital Media Awards

Global site navigation

Local editions

Taiwan detects first cases of swine fever
Economy

Taiwan detects first cases of swine fever

by  AFP
2 min read
A vendor cuts meat at a pork stall at a local traditional market in Keelung. Taiwan has culled dozens of pigs after detecting its first cases of African swine fever
A vendor cuts meat at a pork stall at a local traditional market in Keelung. Taiwan has culled dozens of pigs after detecting its first cases of African swine fever. Photo: I-Hwa Cheng / AFP
Source: AFP

CHECK OUT: Share Your Feedback on Legit.ng & Win Access to Our Copywriting Course!

Taiwan has culled dozens of pigs after detecting its first cases of African swine fever, with the agriculture ministry saying Thursday no other infections have been detected elsewhere on the island.

The illness -- which does not affect humans -- is highly contagious and fatal for pigs, and an outbreak is potentially devastating for the pork industry, experts say.

"No abnormalities have been observed (elsewhere) so far," Deputy Agriculture Minister Tu Wen-jane told a news conference in the central city of Taichung where the infections were detected.

Samples of dead pigs at a farm in Wuqi district tested positive for swine fever this month and 195 pigs have been culled, the ministry said Wednesday.

A three-kilometre (1.9 miles) "control zone" has been set up to prevent the infection from spreading while the transport and slaughter of pigs across the island is banned for five days, the statement said.

Read also

Car giant VW warns of production hit from Nexperia chips row

Taiwan has around five million pigs and the pork industry generates about NT$70 billion (US$2.3 billion) a year, official data show.

CHECK OUT: Your Opinion Matters — Tell Us How Legit.ng Can Improve and Win Access To The Copywriting Course for Free.

President Lai Ching-te has urged the public to "not panic" and called on local governments, livestock associations and pig farmers to be "highly vigilant".

"If any abnormal deaths or suspected animal infections are found among pigs, please immediately report them to the local animal quarantine authorities," Lai said in a Facebook post.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.

Hot: