Pingtung Pig Farm Fined NT$400,000 for Feeding Kitchen Scraps; 10 Violation Sites Found Cumulatively

(CNA, Pingtung County, 14th, Reporter Li Hui-ting) A pig farm in Chaozhou Township, Pingtung County, was found to be recycling kitchen scraps to feed pigs and was fined a total of NT$400,000 under regulations including the Act for Prevention and Control of Animal Infectious Diseases. The county government statistics show a total of 10 non-compliant farms have been found. It calls for vigilance, stating that Taiwan's hard-won return to being a country free from African Swine Fever (ASF) should not be taken lightly and that epidemic prevention must not be relaxed.

The Pingtung County Government stated in a press release today that it received a report about a pig farmer surnamed Chiang in Chaozhou Township illegally feeding kitchen scraps. During an inspection on April 14, inspectors found vegetable-based kitchen scraps being cooked in a boiler. The operator claimed he collected them from a vegetarian restaurant for use at his farm. However, because he lacked a legal certificate of reuse origin and related documents, the scraps were considered kitchen waste due to the risk of cross-contamination and disease transmission during collection, transportation, and containment.

The Department of Agriculture of the county government explained that if one wishes to use plant-based waste to feed pigs, they must obtain reuse qualification approval according to regulations. Therefore, the operator surnamed Chiang was fined NT$200,000 for violating the Act for Prevention and Control of Animal Infectious Diseases and NT$200,000 for violating the Feed Control Act, for a total penalty of NT$400,000. Statistics show that from October last year to the present, a total of 10 farms have been found illegally using kitchen scraps for pig farming.

The Department of Agriculture stated that the Animal Disease Control Center collected samples of the kitchen scraps and two blood samples from the pigs. The nucleic acid test results for the African Swine Fever virus were all negative, confirming no risk of disease transmission. A movement control order was also issued, and the farm and surrounding roads have been cleaned and disinfected.

The Pingtung County African Swine Fever Emergency Response Center urged that Taiwan's successful return to being an ASF-free country on April 6 was a hard-won achievement and that epidemic prevention work must not be relaxed. Regardless of the size of the pig farm, biosecurity measures should be implemented and relevant regulations complied with to jointly protect the pig farming industry and epidemic safety. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150514