Disease worries Kinmen farmers

The Council of Agriculture's (COA's) Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine on Friday reported an outbreak of “type O pan Asia” foot and mouth disease, which is capable of affecting hoofed animals such as deer, cows, sheep and pigs.

In response to the outbreak, 530 pigs have been slaughtered as a preventive measure between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2, and a ban has been placed on exporting raw meat and livestock from Kinmen County to Taiwan Proper.

The county government has over the years been encouraging farmers to raise cattle. Currently, Kinmen's herd amounts to 5,200 cows, but the county consumes only 300 annually. With the current ban in place, farmers are worried that their beef will become unsellable.

The situation for pig farmers is slightly better, as the 17,000 pigs in the county roughly satisfy market demand, according to officials from the Kinmen County Economic Affairs Bureau, who added that farmers might face problems if the public panics and stops purchasing porcine products.

The officials said businesses are unaffected at the county's local markets and the public should remain calm.

As long as people cook their meat thoroughly, their health will not be harmed, the officials added.

The COA's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine has also implemented other preventive measures, such as using sniffer dogs to check the luggage of visitors to Taiwan from Kinmen and Matsu islands, and from China's Xiamen, Mawei and Quanzhou.

The bureau's division in Kinmen will continue to disinfect pig and cow farms and vaccinate pigs.

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