Taiwan identified a suspected case of African swine fever (ASF) on Wednesday, triggering a wave of response mechanisms and a temporary moratorium on pig transport and slaughtering while the case was under investigation. On Friday, Deputy Agriculture Minister Tu Wen-jane (杜文珍) announced that no other unusual cases have been found yet and assured the public that the disease is not zonotic and that there are no known food safety issues.

A suspected African swine fever case was reported last Wednesday at a pig farm in Taichung, igniting fears about the potential effects on Taiwan's economy and public health. In a Friday morning press conference, Tu clarified details on current findings of the investigation, health and food safety concerns, and the proposed extension of the 5-day moratorium to 15 days.

The deputy minister says that information from processing plants, inspections, and epidemic assessments have found no further cases of ASF so far. In response to fears about consuming pork, she underlined that ASF cannot be transmitted to humans, and that Taiwanese pork is thoroughly screened before market release, saying “Taiwanese pork is safe and delicious.”

Not only do pigs have to pass vet-conducted health inspections on farms, obtain a health certificate, and wait under observation, but health checks are also conducted at slaughterhouses, again by qualified veterinarians. Thanks to these precautions, Tu says that the public can rest assured that Taiwanese pork is safe to consume.

As for the proposed extension of the 5-day transport and slaughter moratorium to 15 days, Tu says this comes after considering the virus's incubation period. The five-day ban was meant to quickly stop all activities to confirm the presence of ASF and see if it had spread beyond one location. The 15-day period would include tests for the virus every 5 days to ensure the virus is not present. Tu says that the results of tests during this shorter five-day period will determine whether an extension is necessary. She says Taiwan has remained ASF-free for the last seven years, likely due to its well-established systems, and that she hopes the current round of testing will show it is clear once again.