Government forms expert team to track down ASF outbreak

Government forms expert team to track down ASF outbreak

2025-10-29

Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih held a presser on Wednesday regarding the African swine fever outbreak detected in Taichung earlier this month. He said authorities were now in a race against time to get a full grasp on the circumstances surrounding the outbreak. For that purpose, the ministry has established an expert team to assist local governments in responding to the outbreak. Let’s hear from the minister.

Chen Junne-jih
Minister of Agriculture
The African Swine Fever Forward Command Center has officially decided that we will launch an expert epidemiological survey team. We have mobilized all veterinary experts related to the Ministry of Agriculture, extending to units such as the Veterinary Research Institute, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency and all its branches and the Agricultural Technology Research Institute. We’ve also asked teams formed by academics to form epidemiological survey groups. Work on this front started today in the afternoon.

The pig farm where the outbreak was discovered had reported sporadic pig deaths as far back as September. The Taichung City government has been ordered to conduct an investigation into the matter. Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao said that the number of deaths did not meet the threshold to sound the alarm. In response, the head of the African Swine Fever Forward Command Center said that even if that was the case, any abnormality should have raised concern.

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#ASF #africanswinfever #oubreak #pork #pig #hog #taichung #news

圍堵豬瘟! 中央籌組"專家疫調團"協助地方政府加速釐清疑點

2025-10-29

農業部陳駿季部長，週三下午親自主持豬瘟疫情記者會，宣布現在必須和時間賽跑、因此在專家會議討論之後，決定籌組「專家疫調團」協助地方政府加速釐清疑點。

[[農業部長陳駿季]]
“我們中央應變中心也決定，也正式的決定就是說，我們會啟動一個所謂的專家的一個疫調團。我們調集了所有的，農業部相關的這些獸醫師專家，包括許多單位，包括獸醫所，包括防檢署的署本部的人、分署的同仁，還有農科院的這些獸醫師。另外我們也邀請了學校的這些團隊，組成疫調的一個團隊，這樣的疫調團隊在今天下午也正式的啟動。”

中央發現，爆發豬瘟的台中養豬場，早在九月已經有零星豬隻死亡，要求台中市府回溯清查，台中副市長鄭照說，因數量沒超越警報值，非洲豬瘟前進應變所指揮官杜文珍當場駁斥，即便沒達到大量死亡，覺得異常就該有警覺。

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Dark green fruits droop from the vines inside this screenhouse. They’re what some are calling the “Louis Vuitton” of watermelons: the macaron watermelon.

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Since this is the first time I’m trying to grow them, if they can fruit, I’ll let them fruit.

With a dark green and smoothly rounded exterior, the creator named this stylish fruit after the French dessert, the macaron. The fruit inside is bright red and tastes just like its larger counterpart.

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Although it’s small, the fruit still has that sandy texture. It’s pretty good, and sweet enough.

Chen Yun-chuan used to be a computer engineer, but when his father-in-law needed care, he took over his wife’s family farm. They mostly grow candied dates and green bitter melon, but during the fallow period, he tried growing these small watermelons. After heavy rains in July and August, the seedlings were not growing well. But after some attentive care, they successfully fruited, and he’s already had four harvests.

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It took a lot of work. They said precision agriculture is labor-intensive. Since it grows on the vine, it takes a lot of managing.

Kung Tai-wen
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Screenhouses aren’t a greenhouse, so it’s a lot cheaper. It’s also a summer crop, and can handle the heat.

Although this tiny watermelon is currently four times the cost of the larger ones, it’s still captured the attention of customers who have been buying them up, excited to try.

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Pressing social issues in focus at Judicial Film Festival

The Judicial Film Festival is an event that delves into pressing legal and social issues. This year’s film lineup explores themes such as migrant workers, long-term care, restorative justice, and more. FTV reporter Stephany Yang has the details.

This year’s festival features six selected films that explore key contemporary judicial issues. Among them is “Me and My Condemned Father” by Taiwanese director Lee Chia-hua, which examines the death penalty from the perspective of a family member of the condemned. The lineup also includes stories about the reintegration struggles of formerly incarcerated individuals and the struggles faced by migrant caregivers.

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Actually, that recent movie about migrant workers reflects topics that are commonly present in our society. Since Taiwan has already entered an aging society, I believe many families rely heavily on migrant workers. The issues of long-term care and migrant workers are deeply intertwined, and together they reveal the most authentic side of our society.

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From an ethnic perspective, every culture carries its own meaning. This time, I played a Hakka village girl. While at first glance the broader picture may seem similar, when you delve into their cultural heritage, it’s actually quite different from that of the Indigenous peoples. I believe that through acting, we can gain a deeper understanding of the cultural significance of different ethnic groups and discover each other’s beauty.

The Judicial Film Festival, also known as the Golden Horse Judicial Film Festival, has been held for seven consecutive years. This annual event seeks to enhance public understanding of legal literacy and social awareness by showcasing films that address diverse societal issues, followed by post-screening discussions and forums.

Wen Tien-hsiang
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The Judicial Yuan does not provide us with any guidance or restrictions when it comes to film selection, so we have complete freedom in choosing the works. Our film festival team watches a large number of films, hoping that through the Judicial Film Festival, we’re not just showcasing one type of movie, but rather a diverse range, both in style and in the issues.

Shieh Ming-yang
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Law is often perceived by the general public as cold and impersonal. The text and court judgments are also perceived the same way. Typically, a court ruling presents the outcome of an incident. However, before that incident occurs, there are many underlying causes and many life stories that lead to these events, which then result in a court judgment. Therefore, through films, we can gain deeper insight into the judgments or the law itself, and the issues that may lie behind them.

The 2025 Judicial Film Festival will run till Nov. 30 in Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.

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Students teach older adults AI skills, to create videos about their lives

As AI gains popularity, students from Yunlin County’s Yang-Tze High School recently taught AI skills to 20 older adults in their community. This has enabled these older adults to create videos about their lives. One of them, 66-year-old, Hong Yung-yu, is suffering from the effects of a bout of polio in his childhood and uses crutches to walk. With the help of AI, he finally got to see himself dancing on stage in an international dance contest. Hong was terribly moved, saying it was something he didn’t even dare to dream of.

A man steps onto the stage of an international talent show, radiating energy and performing superb dance moves. This causes the judges on the stage one after another to make exclamations of admiration.

Although he knew the video was generated by AI, Hong Yung-yu still can’t stop laughing. As a child he contracted polio and now he has to rely on crutches and other supportive devices to walk. It had been his lifelong dream to stand on a stage and dance freely.

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The older adults kept on laughing. Seeing their childlike side was like going back to computer classes in my childhood.

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ITRI is holding its annual conference on industry trends, with presentations given by experts on quantum technology from home and abroad. The opening ceremony is attended by representatives from various European countries, including France, the UK and the Nentherlands.

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Allow me to tell you all that this is only my second working day as ITRI President, but I’m already asked to give remarks. I believe that in the future, the two fields of quantum computing and quantum communication will bring forth great changes.

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A ladle of minced pork and a whole prawn goes right in the rice batter to create a classic Tainan bite. But these ba-wan from Mao Xiong Shrimp Meatball could soon sell out due to African swine fever.

Yeh Pu-jung
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We have enough in stock for a few days. Three or four days. We’ll see how it goes.

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Once we sell out our stock, we’ll have to close up.

Customers are delighted to be lucky enough to get one more bite while stocks last. At another legendary vermicelli joint, A Ming Zhu Xing, a sign at the door says “Go Taiwan!” while announcing that the shop will be shut until Nov. 5. Foodies hoping to get a bite were sorely disappointed.

Visitor
Found shop closed
I’m so upset. I came here from so far away. I had to ride my scooter for 30 minutes, all to see this sign at the door.

Hong Kong tourist
Found shop closed
We’re tourists, so we wanted to try it. It’s put a damper on our plans. Lots of restaurants are closed.

Another glutinous rice cake and braised pork rice specialist, Fu Sheng Xiao Shi Dian, is going on an 11-day break. At the door a sign sighs, “Hm… There’s nothing we can do.” Over in Pingtung, a closed shop is trying to lighten the mood with a sign saying, “The pigs are on holiday, and so are we.”

Mr. Hsu
Shopkeeper
We didn’t know how to best explain that we’d be closed for so many days, so we decided to approach it with humor, and hopefully make people smile.

With closure after closure, food and snack vendors selling pork bites are up against a major challenge.

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