Thousands of piglets die of diarrhea in western Taiwan
CNA
2014-01-27
Pigs at a farm in Yunlin. (Photo/Chou Li-lan)
Tens of thousands of piglets in western Taiwan have died of diarrhea over the past few weeks, but pork prices will not be affected, farmers said on Sunday, just days before the Lunar New Year holiday.
More than 13,000 piglets in Yunlin county have died of diarrhea since December, the local government said.
Although prices are unaffected in the run up to the holiday — pork is one of the most important ingredients in Lunar New Year dishes — the supplies could be impacted in the second half of the year, according to the swine association in Yunlin.
Yunlin's Animal and Plant Disease Control Center said it has urged pig farmers to strengthen sterilization measures and raise temperatures in their piggeries to combat the disease.
Diarrhea is a common disease that affects piglets that are less than a few weeks old. Up to 40% of Yunlin's piglets have died since the outbreak began, the center said.
The disease, which is caused by a virus, does not transmit to humans, the Yunlin county government's Agriculture Department said.
The disease is also affecting almost every pig farm in southern Taiwan's Pingtung county, Pingtung's swine association said. The fatality rate among piglets there is around 70%, the association added.
