A dead pig that washed ashore on the northern coast of Taiwan tested positive for African swine fever of the same type that is prevalent in China. This is the first case of that ASF virus detected in Taiwan. According to meteorologists, it is possible that the carcass drifted from China to Taiwan.
The dead pig was discovered last weekend by the Coast Guard. The light-colored skin differs from the local variety of pigs, which are black. A DNA test showed the ASF matched 100% with two ASF sequences previously found in China.
Measures are being taken to protect local pigs, said the Agriculture Council at a press conference on Tuesday (April 6). More than 2,700 black pigs at 11 Taiwanese farms near the discovery site will be tested and the farms will be disinfected.
Last week, industry sources and analysts reported a possible new wave of African swine fever in China, in which at least 20% of the breeding stock has died. These unconfirmed reports come from northeast China and Henan province, the third largest pig-producing province in the country.
“In the first quarter, at least 20% of the livestock was affected in the northeastern provinces, maybe even 25%,” said Jan Cortenbach, chief technical officer of feed company Wellhope-De Heus Animal Nutrition.
A report by investment firm Cifco Futures stated that Henan province lost between 20% and 30% of its sows and that the damage could be “irreversible.”
According to an analysis by news agency Reuters, the presence of ASF is a significant setback for China in rebuilding its pig stock, which was halved by ASF in 2018. At the end of 2019 and last year, some consolidation and recovery occurred, but an exceptionally cold winter and a higher pig density are now causing a new wave of outbreaks.
“This feels just like 2018, 2019 again,” said a China-based manager at a company that supplies major pig producers. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs did not respond to requests for comment.
Food security is a sensitive issue in China and the government has confirmed that there have been few outbreaks of African swine fever since the virus began spreading. Numerous insiders in the industry have described the impact as worse than official figures indicate.