Officials in Taichung, Taiwan, identified what they believe is the likely cause of an African swine fever outbreak, Focus Taiwan reported.
What's happening?
According to the U.S Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), African swine fever is a "deadly pig disease that spreads rapidly" among livestock.
Although African swine fever poses no threat to human health, APHIS emphasized that outbreaks are devastating to pig populations. Moreover, swine fever outbreaks "could devastate" farms, farmers, and ultimately put the food supply at risk.
An outbreak of the virus occurred in Taichung's Wuqi District in October. Taiwan News reported that it was the first instance of African swine fever in "years," and the impact was severe.
After an "unusual number of pig deaths," an investigation was launched.
Over 100 pigs died before the nature of their illness was confirmed, and officials "immediately culled" the 195 surviving pigs.
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At an African Swine Fever Forward Command Center news conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Tu Wen-jane said the likely cause was "unsterilized food waste."
Why is this African swine fever outbreak concerning?
As APHIS explained, while African swine fever is not zoonotic — in other words, a pathogen that can jump from animals to humans — it's still a massive, costly threat.
Taiwan News reported that the government allocated close to 1.1 billion in Taiwanese dollars ($35 million) to help affected businesses and prevent the outbreak from spreading.
The outlet described the African swine fever outbreak as a "tough lesson," emphasizing the need for "flawless" biosecurity procedures to address fast-spreading pathogens that pose a risk to the food supply.
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No way 🙅 According to Focus Taiwan, Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih acknowledged that "historically," the government has "discouraged" using food waste as pig feed. However, that stance was gradually relaxed at the local level due to stringent oversight measures.
At the site of the outbreak, the outlet indicated that those restrictions were "not strictly enforced," and required food waste sterilization proofs were incomplete or missing for much of 2025.
Nevertheless, Chen said that the government would not yet fully ban the practice of using food waste as livestock feed.
Should Taiwan's government decide on a ban, Chen added that "we won't do it immediately, but will give farmers some time [to adjust]."
What's being done about it?
"Biosecurity is a shared responsibility," Taiwan News stated, emphasizing that public awareness was critical to prevent the spread of African swine fever and protecting the food supply.
In July, APHIS explained that although the U.S. had not seen cases of Classical Swine Fever for over 40 years, the risk of reintroduction remained.
The USDA emphasized the importance of strict biosecurity protocols on American farms and warned travelers to avoid bringing pork products into the country from affected regions.
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