Taipei: The Taichung City government has dismissed three senior officials for mishandling the city’s response to an African swine fever outbreak, Mayor Lu Shiow-yen announced at a news conference on Thursday. The decision marks a significant shift in the city’s epidemic management strategy.
According to Focus Taiwan, the officials-Agriculture Bureau Director Chang Ching-chang, Environmental Protection Bureau Director Chen Hung-yi, and Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office Director Lin Ju-liang-were removed from their posts effective immediately. The dismissals were due to their failure to adhere to central government epidemic prevention guidelines, which created considerable risk for the city.
Mayor Lu emphasized the importance of containing the outbreak and preventing the virus from spreading, especially after several pigs tested positive for African swine fever at a pig farm in Wuqi District on October 21. This had led to a nationwide ban on the transport and slaughter of pigs. However, with the gradual lifting of these restrictions, Lu expressed hope that citizens and industries could begin to return to normal life.
Despite the city’s efforts, Lu acknowledged shortcomings in the prevention work and took full responsibility, offering an apology for the city’s performance. She stated that the city is committed to improvement and vowed to take the incident as a learning experience.
The dismissals have sparked political debate, with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilors criticizing the mayor for alleged delays and concealment in epidemic prevention efforts. Meanwhile, the Kuomintang (KMT) party has expressed respect for the mayor’s decisions, urging the city to learn from the incident. The Taichung City Council plans to hold a special session on Friday to further discuss the outbreak and the city’s response.
