April 16, 2009
Taiwan culls 18 pigs amid FMD scare
A total of 18 pigs were culled on a farm in Changhua, Taiwan late Monday (Apr 13) after they were found to have developed symptoms of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a county official confirmed Wednesday (Apr 15).
Kuo Chou-tseh, head of the county's Bureau of Animal Health Inspection and Quarantine, said the 18 pigs were killed on the farm immediately after a veterinarian at the Changhua meat market discovered on April 13 that 10 out of 50 pigs sent to the meat market by the farm appeared to have FMD symptoms. He added that 947 pigs were being raised at the farm.
According to Kuo, seven other hog farms within a 1-km radius of the affected farm were disinfected to prevent the spread of the virus while vaccinations were also given to about 5,000 pigs being raised in the neighbourhood.
According to officials of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, there are about 12,000 hog farms in Taiwan, with 90 percent of their inventories having received no FMD vaccination.
Monday's report was the fourth of its kind since February, following similar cases being reported in Yunlin County on February 4, Changhua County on February 9 and Chiayi County on March 27.
Meanwhile, officials from the Council of Agriculture (COA) urged the public not to be alarmed over the development as the appearance of sporadic cases is normal with the gradual reduction of inoculation percentage in order for Taiwan to be declared as FMD-free.
Under guidelines set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), Taiwan is entitled to apply for status as an FMD-free country with the body before its 2010 annual meeting if no more cases are reported and no vaccinations are given to livestock for one year before applying for FMD-free status.
COA officials said once a country reports an FMD outbreak, it can take up to 40 years before it can be listed as FMD-free, as seen in some European countries.
According to the COA officials, Taiwan used to raise as many as 12 million pigs annually, with 7 million being exported to Japan yearly. However, the country now raises only about 6.4 million pigs a year, mainly for domestic consumption.
