TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – If no more cases of African swine fever are found, the ban on the transportation and slaughter of pigs could end on November 7, the Ministry of Agriculture said Saturday.

The government announced on October 22 that the death of pigs at a farm in Taichung was caused by the fever, ending Taiwan’s status as one of the few Asian countries with no pig diseases. As a result, Taiwan halted pork exports, banned the transportation, slaughter and feeding of pigs with kitchen waste, and toughened import checks.

Agriculture Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said the coming days were crucial to find out whether the fever had expanded outside Taichung, the Liberty Times reported. If there was no sign of an expansion, an end to the hog transportation and slaughter ban could be announced next Friday.

However, the feeding of pigs with kitchen waste could only resume if checks had been completed on the cooking equipment at 434 farms where the practice was still prevalent before the recent outbreak, Chen said.

There also needed to be live monitoring of the kitchen waste being cooked for at least an hour at a temperature of minimum 90 degrees. A picture of the process would not be acceptable, according to the minister. In any event, the ministry would continue its campaign to persuade hog farmers to stop using kitchen waste, Chen said.

As to the origin of the virus, analysis showed the Taichung case genetically close to strains from China and Vietnam, making it difficult to pinpoint the actual origin. After three months without new cases, Taiwan can regain its status as an African swine fever-free country.