Page 125 - 2018 Annual Report Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan

Annual Report 2018 Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan The “1st Interministerial Meeting of the 2018 African Swine Fever Central Emergency Response Center” was convened on December 18, 2018. In response to the severe epidemic of ASF in mainland China, on November 1 the COA formed the “African swine fever prevention plan working group,” which determined four main work areas: (i) border control and management, (ii) information dissemination at the border and disease prevention by all citizens, (iii) strengthening the domestic disease-prevention network and doing guidance and education for the pig industry, and (iv) bringing domestic response capabilities to a state of readiness. We did a survey of the risk of possible transmission of ASF into Taiwan and strengthened all kinds of inspection and quarantine measures. On December 18, the COA convened the “1st Interminsterial Meeting of the 2018 African Swine Fever Central Emergency Response Center.” Although there had not been any cases of ASF in Taiwan, in order to demonstrate the government’s determination to be prepared to prevent the disease from entering Taiwan, the COA established the Central Emergency Response Center, and the central and local (municipal, city, and county) governments worked together to implement disease- prevention measures in order to keep ASF outside our territory. In order to ensure that tasks of blocking the disease and response preparedness were being done correctly, on December 26 there was the “National Inspection and Quarantine Exercise for African Swine Fever” held separately at Kaohsiung International Airport, Yanpu Fishing Harbor in Pingtung County, and Kanding incinerator (also in Pingtung). This simulation allowed participating units to familiarize themselves with implementation methods and assess their response preparedness, to establish standard operating procedures, to strengthen rapport and coordination between ministries, and to do reassessment of tasks that needed improvement. 123