Image reproduced from 風傳媒

On the night of the 14th, disease control personnel in protective suits moved a dead pig that had drifted ashore at the triangular fort of Cihu, Kinmen, for sampling. After the samples were taken, the pig was immediately incinerated and buried on site, with thorough disinfection of the surrounding area following. The test results released on the 17th confirmed the presence of African swine fever virus nucleic acids, and the genetic sequence matched 100% with the second genotype of the African swine fever virus found in China.

According to Xu Rongbin, the director of the Ministry of Agriculture's Animal Health Inspection and Quarantine Bureau, "It is determined that the drifting pigs still came from China. The second genotype is currently prevalent in pig farms on mainland China, where the African swine fever epidemic is still ongoing." The last confirmed incident of African swine fever drifting pigs in Kinmen occurred nearly a year ago. As a precaution, the Ministry of Agriculture has announced a ban on transporting fresh pork and pork products from Kinmen to Taiwan from the 17th to the 23rd.

The Coast Guard Administration has also elevated border control and meat inspection measures, deploying backscatter X-ray inspection devices. Coast Guard Administrator Zhang Zhonglong inspected the Liao Luo Commercial Port in Kinmen, announcing an increase in manpower to strengthen inspections of vessels from epidemic areas, ensuring 100% security checks.

Zhang Zhonglong emphasized, "We are increasing our inspection manpower and inspection intensity and strengthening coastal patrols. We are particularly reinforcing checks on cross-border fishing vessels from mainland China to see if they carry materials, meat products, or meat from epidemic areas." Xu Rongbin pointed out, "The current domestic control measures against swine diseases are still of very high standards." Taiwan only recently achieved the status of being the only non-epidemic country for African swine fever, classical swine fever, and foot-and-mouth disease in Asia, a status obtained just one month prior. Since then, drifted dead pigs with African swine fever have emerged.